Object of Affection
by Ashuri-Kasandora-Tsuyoi
Summary: ok so ren invited horo to stay with him, no big deal right? that is of course, not taking into account that horo's madly in love with ren. can ren find his own feelings or end up ruining his and horo's friendship forever? RenxHoro. Finished.
1. The Beginning

**Object of affection.**

**Me: yeah ok, this is my first ****ever**** shaman king yaoi fanfic thingamajig. **

**Chapter one: The beginning.**

It was another typical morning. The sun rose, the people in Tokyo woke up and began to go amongst their early morning chores, like showering, cooking and eating breakfast. However one does find it hard to eat in peace, when one's friend, continuously keeps flicking pieces of rice across the room.

Tao Ren's eye twitched as a rice grain flew past his cheek. _Why must he do that every morning!?_ He thought angrily glaring at his spiky blue haired friend.

Oh sure, Ren thought he had been exceptionally nice when he agreed to let HoroHoro stay with him, that is until he found a place of his own, as he had been practically living in a hotel, but now two months into letting him stay there, it was making him seriously regret that decision.

A rice grain hit him in the cheek. Ren fought to restrain himself from lashing out.

"Heh heh sorry Renny!" Horo said smiling.

Ren give him a smile and in a voice of deadly calm he said, "Do that again and I will personally see to it that you don't live to see your next birthday. (Horo's birthday had been the day before).

"Sure thing, Ren," Horo said touching the ends of the chop-sticks to the tip of Ren's nose, unfazed. "No problem."

His eye twitched again and he leaned back against his chair. Pulling his own bowl closer to him he said, "Ainu-baka."

Some sort of emotion flickered in Horo's eyes at those words, and when Ren blinked and leaned closer to figure out what it was, it vanished and Horo stood up.

"Well thanks for breakfast."

_ Not like he ever makes it anyway._ Ren thought.

"See ya later." And he walked out of the kitchen.

"Your supposed to clean your bowl!" Ren yelled at his retreating back. No answer. Sighing he leaned back in his chair again.

Oh how at times he longed for the life without having Horo there. So peaceful and quiet and "AHH" he yelled toppling off his chair as Horo's face appeared just inches away from his. "What the hell are you doing Ainu-baka!?"

Horo smiled at him and picked up the bowl. "Nothing."

"Like hell you were!" Ren thundered. "You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought I was going to die!"

"You wouldn't really die? Would you Ren?"

Ren gazed up at Horo as he turned to wash the bowl. His voice seemed so sad. "Of course not Ainu-baka. I'm not going down without a fight," Ren answered rolling his eyes.

"Oh, good," replied Horo. A few seconds passed. "Why are you sill on the floor?"

Ren blinked. "...good question." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Clean my bowl while your at it," he commanded.

"Why?"

"Because you never do a lick of work around here and I'm thinking about making your earn your keep!"

"Right. Fine whatever," said Horo walking to the table and retrieving Ren's bowl.

Ren shook his head and stretched. Horo was stupid. He didn't understand what it took to keep a home clean and spotless. All he cared about was food, food, and more food. And sleep was in there somewhere.

However something had been bothering Ren. Some insults, which had never had an effect on Horo before seemed to be having much more so of an effect on him, Ainu-baka for example. He was becoming slightly more drawn in and less outgoing. Which, because Ren knew his as the outgoing type, was a little unnerving. It didn't seem like Horo. And at times Horo acted like Ren was going to disappeared the second he walked out the front door, and he stared at him with longing.

What was that all about?

Arms went around his waist and he froze. What was he still doing in the kitchen? Looking behind him, he saw Horo place his head on his shoulder. Ren's mouth went dry. "H-Horo, w-what are y-you doing?" he stammered.

"I'll let you guess," He answered breathing heavily on Ren's neck.

"I-I think y-you should let go now!"

Horo responded by kissing his neck.

_Oh fuck!_ Ren though helplessly. Wait, why should he be helpless in this situation? He was just as strong as Horo, maybe even more so. "Let go of me right now!" Ren said trying to keep his voice calm, but the heat was rising in his face as Horo continued to kiss his neck not answering. "I said let go!" He repeated and elbowed him sharply in the chest.

Horo made a slight noise and released him.

Whirling around, face very red, Ren yelled, "What the hell do you think your doing?!"

Horo gave him a slight smile and rubbed the area where Ren had elbowed him. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Really sure?"

"Yes!"

"Really, really sure?"

"Yes god dammit! Now get on with it!"

Horo smiled wider. "Your really inpatient at times, Ren. A difference from your egocentric, arrogant self." Ren glared at him. "That's why I love you."

Silence.

The words weren't registering with Ren's brain. "W-what?"

"I love you," Horo repeated taking a step closer. "For the longest time now."

Ren stared at him. Okay now was the time to panic. "N-now you listen here Horo, I don't know what your tryingto pull but-"Ren's words were cut off by Horo sealing his lips against his.

_Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!_ Ren repeated to himself, trying to pull away from Horo, but being smaller then him, it proved no easy feet. He thought about hitting him again, but no, Horo had grabbed a hold of his hands. Kicking him? _Damn_, he couldn't. His legs felt weak. Weak what?

Horo pulled away from him, and it was Ren dearest ambition to murder him on the spot, however, a part of him was itching to close the distance between them with another kiss. He slapped himself mentally and yanked his hands out of Horo's grasp.

" . !" he said through gritted teeth. He backed out of the kitchen. "Wait Ren-" Horo started, but Ren raced out of the kitchen and barricaded himself in his room.

Pulling his knees up to his chin, he thought, _what the hell is going on?_

**me: yeah first chappie. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did I'll do the next chapter.**

**Ren: EW!**

**Horo: heh heh! *glomps Ren***

**Ren: no! Release me at once!**

**Me: get a room!**


	2. Everyone Knew

**Ashuri: alright now I need a disclaimer because I forgot on the first chapter. Hmm Hao, you can be my disclaimer!**

**Hao: no way!**

**Ashuri's other bishies: you dare refuse the all powerful goddess of story writing, who can ruin your life fasting then you can blink?!**

**Hidca from non-fiction story: no kidding.**

**Hao: meep! (–ooc) alright Ashuri does not own shaman king. If she did she would murder Anna and save Yoh from a terrible fate.**

**Ashuri: heh heh. Anyway thanks to all who read and reviewed and yes Ren is fun to torture Now with out further ado, the second chapter of Object of Affection.**

Chapter Two: everyone knew.

Barricaded in his room, Ren refused to come out, no matter how many times Horo pounded on the door and apologized through it. He clearly stated, at the top of his lungs, that the apology was worth nothing and if he didn't leave him alone, he would flay him to within an inch of his life. Horo finally got the hint and left him alone.

Considering he was beside himself with anger, really beside himself with anger, Ren couldn't help but feel a little, just a little, but curious about Horo's affection toward him. Didn't he say, like always, before the most disturbing words Ren had heard in his life, that he, Ren, was egocentric and arrogant? And certainly one did not fall in love with someone as cold hearted and selfish as him.

He pounded on his head with his hands. _Why me? Why me?_ He though over and over again. Why couldn't it be...Yoh or someone. Why did it have to be him!? With thoughts like this flowing throughout his brain, Ren did not leave his room, until shortly after lunch time, when he began to feel hungry.

However in there lied a dilemma. Leaving his room, meant coming face to face with Horo again. Leaving his room meant facing the problem he wanted so much to forget. He pondered this. Was food really worth it? Yes his stomach growled and sighing he went down to the kitchen. Horo was not there.

Releasing a sigh of relief he started to make lunch. But before getting very far, Horo did appear in the kitchen. Ren, was to occupied to notice, however, all Horo did was stare at him, but being as he's not really that dense, Ren felt someone watching him and whirled around. Staring into Horo's eyes, lined with sadness and longing, Ren fought to find an insult to throw at him, but no new ones came to mind at the moment, so he settled on glaring and returning to his food.

Horo took a cautious step forward. "Ren," he said quietly.

"What?" Ren answered in a would be calm tone.

"I'm really, really sorry about this morning." He really did sound sorry, but Ren was in to far a foul mood to really care, so all he did was roll his eyes and say, "Whatever."

"I know my actions certainly surprised you but, all I'm asking, at this moment, is to take them into consideration," Horo said from behind him.

Ren put the knife he was holding down, just in case he lunged at Horo, he didn't feel killing him would justify anything at this point. "Into consideration eh?" he said and turned around. "How bout you take this into consideration you lazy bastard!" He wrapped his hands around Horo's neck and preceded to choke the living daylights out of him.

"What made you even think I could think of _you_ in that way! Especially you! I despise your living essence and if you touch me like that again you-" Ren's words were surprisingly cut off by the doorbell.

Ren released Horo and muttering dark things, like killing Horo, destroying doorbells, killing Horo, eating, and killing Horo, he walked to the door and opened it, wishing he was back in the kitchen choking Horo cause, his sister Tao Jun, was there on the doorstep, and the second the door had open, she had thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a choking hug.

"One-san!" was all he managed to choke out.

"Hi Ototo!" Jun replied hugging him tighter still.

Ren, really couldn't breathe, and was beginning to feel sorry for choking Horo, regardless if he had a good reason or not. He struggled to push Jun away but it didn't work very well, so he had to stay there running out of air.

Horo had heard Jun's reply from the kitchen and entered the living room. Ren heard him laugh. _What's so damn funny!? I'm being hugged to death!_ He thought angrily, but Horo came over and released him from Jun's grip none the same. While Horo held on to one arm to keep him steady Ren placed his other hand on his knee and panted for breath. When he was better, he noticed Horo holding his arm and yanked it away.

Jun looked at Horo. "Didn't work did it?" she said and Horo shook his head sadly.

Ren's eyes flew wide open. Did Jun somehow know about Horo's affections. "W-what?" he said.

Jun smiled at Horo, ignoring Ren. "Don't worry. It'll work out sooner or later." She looked at Ren. "So Ren, how _do _you feel about Horo?"

The question was like a slap in the face, it came so randomly that Ren just stared at Jun like she just dared to ask the most disturbing thing ever. "Well?"

Ren shook his head. "I despise his lazy ass," Ren muttered looking at the wall, hoping to fine something interesting.

Jun sighed. "Well I guess stage one of the operation failed. I better go tell the others." Ren blinked.

"Others?"

"Yeah. Come on everyone knew how Horo felt. You can't tell us you didn't know?"

Ren glared at her. "Does it look like I knew!?" he thundered.

"No," Horo said.

"Exactly! I received a kiss from someone, who happens to be male, someone who drives me crazy, and-" Ren's ranting was abruptly stopped when Horo placed his arm around Ren's shoulders and said, "Wouldn't be little old me, now would it?"

Ren's face turned a nasty shade of red, which no one could tell if it was from embarrassment or anger, and he raised his fist as though threatening to punch Horo, but didn't. "Yes, Ainu-baka, it is you."

"Thought so," Horo said smiling.

_ He is so dense._ Ren thought leering at him.

"So that means you don't love him then?" Jun asked.

"No. I mean how could anyone love a lazy, good for nothing, clumsy jerk!"

Horo slipped, somehow while standing, Ren supposed the water from Jun's boots, it was raining outside, had leaked over to where they were standing when she had hugged him, and fell onto the floor hard.

"See what I mean," Ren said laughing.

Horo got up and brushed himself off. "I'm ok," he announced and returned his arm to Ren's shoulders.

"Well," Jun said turning toward the door. "I just stopped by to see if everything had worked out, but now I must run to the store. See you later!" And she left.

Ren's eye twitched. What a nosy annoying sibling he had. Maybe there was a store somewhere in Tokyo where he could exchange her for money.

Horo's arm had yet to leave Ren's shoulders.

"Release me Horo," he said quietly.

"You didn't say please."

"I shouldn't have to say please! It's my house! My shoulder's! Now release me!"

Smirking Horo replied, "No I don't think I will." Ren opened his mouth to retort but Horo placed his finger against his lips. "You need to learn some manners Ren."

It all happened so fast. One minute Horo was gazing lovingly into Ren's amber eyes and the next he had jumped away, yelping in pain, clutching his finger. "I have manners but why waste them on you," he said wiping his mouth.

"You cold heartless bastard! Have some sympathy for the poor and helpless!" Horo whined.

"If I didn't have sympathy for you, you wouldn't been here. You'd been stuck in that hotel, running out of money and just waiting to be kicked out onto the street, like an animal," answered Ren turning away.

"You are too cruel."

"Ahmm. Get used to it." Returning to the kitchen, Ren had thoughts about trying to finished his late lunch, however Horo had other ideas.

"So now that we are alone," he started running his finger under the water. "Are you going to tell me whether or not you'll consider my words?"

Why couldn't he be left in peace? He leaned against the counter. "No. I will not consider your words."

Horo gazed at him and pouted.

It took all of Ren's will power to not look at Horo. When he pouted and made the puppy dog face, no one could win against him. Even the all powerful Ren, had fallen to it once or twice in the past.

"Is it that bad or are you purposely not looking at me?" Horo asked.

"Both," replied Ren.

Horo cupped his cheek and turning Ren's face toward his he said, "You know, if you consider them and try it out, you might find its not as bad as you think."

Again Ren found himself in a nearly inescapable situation as Horo captured his lips in a kiss. Horo had obviously learned a few tricks since that morning, as he had pinned him against the counter. He had leaned a leg against Ren's to stop him from kicking him and held his hands firmly in his own.

_Why is he forcing himself on me!? Can't he take a hint!? _Ren tired to fight him off, but to no avail. This continued for sometime with them occasionally coming up for air, and Ren having furious fights with himself as he started to enjoy it.

After a while Ren stopped fighting him off, but never returned Horo's kisses. Horo obviously believed that Ren was going to allow him to kiss him or whatever, now that he had stopped struggling, and released one of Ren's hands to trace invisible circles on his back, after lifting his shirt up slightly. Ren was getting annoyed. The big lug seriously didn't get it.

_ Allow me to knock some sense into him._ And he hit him really hard in the head.

Horo fell to the floor. "Ow! Shit!"

"I told you not to touch me Horo," said Ren pleasantly.

Horo looked up at him rubbing his head. "True. But how else am I going to kiss you?"

"That's just it you don't."

"Oh come on you know you were enjoying it."

"Well I'm not going to pretend it wasn't at times but-what are you smiling at?" Ren inquired.

"You just said it was enjoyable."

Ren stared at him. "Oh fuck! I did didn't I?!"

"Yep." Said Horo standing.

"Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!" Ren repeated over and over again jumping up and down, hands in front of his face.

Horo laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry Ren. I'll make you love me yet."

"Oh fuck no!" Ren said in horror.

"Heh heh. Don't worry."

"Fuck you Horo!"

**Ashuri: hurrah! Chapter two is finished. And yes it is longer then the first one, slightly. Heh heh. Poor Ren.**

**Ren: that's right! It better be poor Ren!**

**Ashuri: its not that big of a biggie Ren.**

**Ren: oh yes it is!**

**Ashuri: sigh. Anyway please read and review. Tell me what you think. Then I'll write more.**

**Ren: its not fair!**

**Ashuri: shut up!**

**Ren: meep!**


	3. Basics of Affection Winning

**Ashuri: your still my disclaimer Hao.**

**Hao: I don't wanna!**

**Bishies: do it!**

**Hao: fine. Ashuri does not own shaman king. However she clearly states that she will buy all the manga.**

**Ashuri: exactly. Thank you to all who read and reviewed-**

**Ren: and are clearly flipping out over the entire thing!**

**Ashuri: that's cause they all love horoxren pairings. And now they've got me hooked on them. Especially** **KimBob's HoroRen! I love it. Read it if you haven't. And regarding her comment on saying 'fuck' to many times and that it should be varied, it shall, but me and my friends repeatedly say fuck all the time so that's why I did that. Anyway here is chapter three. Rated for language and attempted sex.**

Chapter three: basics of affection winning.

So how does one go about winning someone's affections? By giving them gifts? By doing simple chores or requests? Well whatever it is you do, Horo was really going out of the way to win Ren's.

Horo had bought him gifts, which he dubbed utterly useless, but kept anyway, hiding them away in boxes in his closest so he wouldn't have to look at them and become incredibly guilty. Maybe that was Horo's plan? If he became guilty over Horo buying him things he would no doubt go out and start buying him gifts, which meant Ren would clearly have to think of him more, and thinking of him more, meant rising emotions, and rising emotions meant falling in love. The thought of it made Ren almost throw up in disgust.

Anyway when Horo released that the gifts weren't wooing Ren, he became the cleaning maid. Because Ren, was a perfectionist and a neat freak, he was always getting after Horo's lack of tidiness. Therefor Horo concluded that if he cleaned and did everything Ren asked, he would _eventually_ win Ren's heart. It didn't go quite the way he planned.

Ren used Horo's new found attempt at wooing him to his advantage, making him clean the house from top to bottom, go shopping, cook dinner, do laundry, etc. etc. etc. This made Ren very happy because it meant he could lounge around and read or train all day, for once. Horo noticed it made him happy and even though he was really annoyed, he kept at it, hopes still held very high.

Even though he was Ren's, now personal maid, that didn't stop him from trying other ways of affection winning. He clearly enjoyed the 'kissing games', as Ren now called them, because Horo would and did, chase him around the house in order to corner him and kiss him, even though Ren never kissed him back and stood glaring and waiting for a chance to strike when Horo's defense fell. Which normally included a sharp slap to the head or being chased around the house just inches from getting speared on his kawn do.

Other attempts included hugging him and touching him in ways Ren believed to be wrong and made sure Horo payed dearly for it. However it never dampened Horo's persistence.

One day, near the end of November, Ren had returned from shopping, because he had decided to give Horo the day off, and was about to curl up in his bed and take a nap, when Horo walked into his room, quietly, and wrapped his arms around Ren's waist. Ren was far to used to it by now to care, the first impulse was still to murder him on the spot, but he just frowned and dangerously told Horo to get lost. And of course Horo wouldn't.

Fighting to keep his anger that always appeared when Horo did this under control, Ren had been about to say something else when Horo whispered in his ear, "Do you know how much I love you?"

Ren shuddered. That was wrong on all levels, just like everything _else_ Horo tired to pull. "Do you know how much I despise you?' Ren muttered and pulled away to hang his coat up in the closest.

"Oh come on Ren!" Horo groaned. "When are you ever going to except my love for you?"

"Hm let me think...never!"

Horo groaned again and started to fiddle with the feather duster Ren had left on the bedside table. "Are you ever going to fall in love? With anyone?"

"A Tao can not love," Ren reminded him.

"When are you gonna stop believing in that crap and open your eyes!" said Horo, anger rising.

"When I've rid the world of people like you!"

Horo snapped and chucked the feather duster at Ren's head.

"Ni shi hwin dan!" Ren shouted and rubbed his head, cursing in Chinese. But he stopped when he heard Horo laughing at him. _So the little bastard thinks its funny does he well I can think of something more so._ Ren thought his eye twitching. Picking up the feather duster he chucked it at Horo's head and when he turned to retaliate he was face to face with Ren's kawn do.

"Oh Shit!" Horo said.

"Precisely," Ren answered his eyes glistening maliciously as emotions flickered in Horo's eyes. "What's that is spy flickering in your eyes?"

Horo appeared to ponder the question but said "Fear," after a minute.

_ He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'fear'. _Ren thought. _ Then again, he doesn't know the meaning to most words._

"Your not going to kill me are you Ren?" Horo asked.

"Now why would I do that? I need you around to clean my house."

Horo sighed and tired to pull the kawn do away from Ren. "Your such a weakling." Ren said at Horo's pitiful attempt to disarm him. "If muscles were brains, you would still be stupid."

"Are you through finished insulting me?" asked Horo calmly.

Ren stared at him. Why not defend himself against Ren's insults? Why stand there and take them? "We'll see."

"You know Ren, if you would just understand and listen to me, you'd find, I'm a really caring, generous person. People like that don't grow on trees you know."

"How true," said Ren. "They normally swing under them."

Horo sighed again and yanked the kawn do away from Ren and tripped him with it. "Due kauheh! Hum kah chan!" Ren yelled in Chinese when he hit the floor.

"I was hoping not to resort to violence," said Horo's voice from above him. Ren didn't like the tone. Struggling to sit up he found that Horo had leaned down on top of him, preventing him.

"Get off me!" he said loudly. Horo didn't answer and produced some rope from somewhere and tied his hands to the bed post. "Liumang!" was all Ren could say.

"Why don't you speak in Japanese or English?"

"Fine! Bastard!"

Sighing Horo laid down on top of him, his dark eyes boring into Ren's amber ones. "Why don't you whisper those three little words that would make my day?" he said quietly.

"Go to hell!" Ren thundered.

Ignoring Ren's outburst Horo asked, "Are you going to revise your answer to my early question?"

"What question was that?"

"Are you ever going to fall in love? With anyone?"

Ren growled in anger. So he had to revise his answer eh? "I've had many case's of love that were just infatuation, but the hate I feel for you is the real thing!" Horo gazed at him sadly. "Now release me!"

Horo didn't answer and made no move to untie him, however his lips did make their way on to Ren's.

_You lame Hillary lovin brain dead ugolicious rectum sniffing dick head!_

Ren was not happy. Not only was he pinned down and tied down, with no means of escape, Horo was taking advantage of him. _The jerk!_ While thinking of new insults that he would say the second he got out of this mess, he failed to notice that Horo's lips had left his, only to kiss his way down his chest. _How the hell did he get my shirt off?_ Ren questioned noticing his shirt was no where to be found and slapping himself mentally for not paying attention.

"Horo! I command you to let go of me right now!"

Horo shook his head and continued to kiss him. So Ren continued to insult him. Not just him but his family and people as well. Even though it had a visible effect on him, he increased the pressure of his hand on Ren's chest and digging the short stubs of nails into the sink, he didn't retort. Ren was losing his only weapon. After running out of things to say, he laid there unable to do anything.

Another thing was going on in Ren's brain. A part of him was enjoying Horo's touch, where as ninety percent of him wanted to kill him, and he mentally fought himself for a good five minutes before realizing that Horo's mouth was very close to the rim of his pants. _Oh Shit!_ Horo had obviously realized that Ren wasn't going to fight anymore and was going to take it further.

"Horo! Horo! You stop that right now!" yelled Ren, finding his voice.

However any new insults at had appeared at that moment were silence by Horo pressing his lips against his. His hand moved down Ren chest and underneath the rim of his belt and pants. Ren was panicking! _Rape! Rape! Rape!_ He repeated to himself over and over and over again, the ninety percent of him wishing the he had his kawn do his hands and the ten percent enjoying it.

_When the time comes, I will truly enjoy killing you!_

Horo had been about to unzip Ren's pants when the phone and the doorbell rang.

_ Ha ha! Saved by the bell literally!_ Ren thought happily.

Reluctantly Horo got over him and untied him, and met Ren's fist right in the nose. Ren glared furiously at him. "That Ainu-baka, was uncalled for!"

"S-sorry," Horo muttered.

Ren smiled evilly. "Pardon me, but you've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn. Now go answer the door.

Clutching his bleeding nose, Horo nodded and went down stairs. Ren went over to his bedside table and answered the phone. It was Jun. Not feeling in the mood to talk to anyone Ren yelled at Jun to shut up and go away before slamming the phone back on its hook. When all was silent in his room, he could hear Horo's and Yoh's voices from down stairs. Still not caring about Horo, or anything else at that moment he crawled into bed and went to sleep, feeling that he was indeed deserving of a good nap. After all one of the worst possible things that he could think of, had happened to him.

For one spilt moment, he had wanted what Horo was doing to him.

**Ashuri: dun dun dunnnn!**

**Ren: no! How could you do this too me!?**

**Ashuri: cause its funny!**

**Ren: you cold cruel heartless woman!**

**Ashuri: please? And your not? Anyway hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and I bet some of you are going to be mad because interrupted them. Heh heh. Ren loves to insult people. Lots of those in here. And Chinese as well.**

_**Ni shi hwin dan**_**: you're an asshole.**

_**Due kauheh! Hum kah chan:**_** fuck you. Death to your family.**

_**Liumang**_**: bastard.**

**Ashuri: anyway, tell me what you think. Please read and review again. If you have questions and what not feel free to ask.**


	4. Get Out!

**Ashuri: Hao!**

**Hao: yeah. Ashuri does not own shaman king.**

**Ashuri: thanks. Anyway again thanks to those who read and review.**

**Reviews from chapter three:**

**from anonymous review:**** Jesus, could you force anymore cheap jokes in there ¬_¬ seriously though, I loved it!** _Yeah I know I put a lot in there. But I seriously found it funny. Heh heh chances are there may be more._

**From KimBob:**** If I were Ren, I'd be afraid of what Horo might do to me in my sleep... Go Ten Percent of Ren! Wee-haa! Update soon please! ...More HoroRen! ^_^** _ yeah I probably would be too. When is read this review I laughed. Its great. Poor Ren._

**From spiritsflame:** **That's in awesome fic! I like it a bit...but Horo is a bit OOC...Oh well, good fic, write more soon, please!** _Yeah I know Horo's a bit out of character but its funny and stuff this way. _

_**From jen-tao07:**_**oh god can't believe you wuld do that 2 Ren! and Horo, hat WOZ going too far. oh well, maybe he will calm down and Ren will fall for him.** _ Heh heh. Poor Ren. Maybe he didn't deserve that but I couldn't help myself. And Horo really did take it alittle too far. As for Ren falling for Horo you'll have to wait and see._

**From giftoftheelves;** **Come on you are so evil! Poor Horo, and you didn't finish it, I need to see more of that...dam you, you know I love ya really but im so sad I didn't get to see anymore and Horo is still not getting any gratification!** _Heh heh. I knew someone would be upset cause I didn't finish it. But there will be that later...possibly...but you'll have to wait and see...I love ya too and your fic happy birthday Ren._

**Ren: I agree with jen-tao07. How could you do that to me!**

**Ashuri: of course you would. I don't know cause it's you and your cool and need to relax. **

**Ren: but...**

**Ashuri: no buts. Anyway here's chapter four. Hopefully you will enjoy it.**

Chapter four: Get out!

Ren awoke to the sounds of laughter coming from the living room. He groaned and rolled over to look at the alarm clock. Its green luminous numbers read 1:00am. His anger flared. Do people not sleep at this time of night? Was he the only one who did so? How dare they make such a racket to disturb his sleep!

But was it just the nosie?

A part of him felt like he had just been denied a really treat while the other part felt like he wanted to cause an all out war. He blinked trying to remember and draw conclusion to why he would feel this way. His mind was kind of blank. But it eventually came to him, after five minutes.

~_Another thing was going on in Ren's brain. A part of him was enjoying Horo's touch, where as ninety percent of him wanted to kill him, and he mentally fought himself for a good five minutes before realizing that Horo's mouth was very close to the rim of his pants. Oh Shit! Horo had obviously realized that Ren wasn't going to fight anymore and was going to take it further._

_ "Horo! Horo! You stop that right now!" yelled Ren, finding his voice. However any new insults at had appeared at that moment were silenced by Horo pressing his lips against his. His hand moved down Ren chest and underneath the rim of his belt and pants. Ren was panicking! Rape! Rape! Rape! He repeated to himself over and over and over again, the ninety percent of him wishing the he had his kawn do his hands and the ten percent enjoying it._

_ When the time comes, I will truly enjoy killing you!_

_ Horo had been about to unzip Ren's pants when the phone and the doorbell rang. Ha ha! Saved by the bell literally! Ren thought happily. Reluctantly Horo got off him and untied him, and met Ren's fist right in the nose. Ren glared furiously at him. "That Ainu-baka, was uncalled for!" _

_ "S-sorry." Horo muttered. _

_ Ren smiled evilly. "Pardon me, but you've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn. Now go answer the door._"~

Again Ren's anger rose. That sniveling little rotting piece of carcass! His hands formed gestures of wanting to strangle something or someone, however before satisfaction could be his in the death department, the laughter from downstairs rose through the floor boards and his stomach growled.

He considered going down there and telling Horo, and Yoh, it seemed, to shut up. However that meant coming face to face with Horo, again. And he really didn't want to have to look into the face of the Ainu-baka. And he really didn't want to have to dwell on the...incident. But his stomach, as he did not have dinner, was commanding him to go downstairs and eat regardless of Horo.

"I do not take orders from my stomach," he growled at it. It growled back. _Ok great. Now I'm talking to my stomach. How stupid can I get? That oaf must be rubbing off on me._

So after a furious fight with his stomach which lasted a whole of ten seconds, Ren relented and went down stairs, not caring that Horo was there or for the fact that he was half dressed. It _was _his house anyway.

When he entered the living room, Yoh and Horo were clearing in a fit of laughter over something, which never made itself apparent. Ren glared at them. And after a minute Yoh stopped laughing and said, "Hello Ren."

Horo nearly fell off the couch when he whipped around to look at Ren. He looked slightly afraid. "Hi...Ren."

"Do you people not sleep around here?" he asked shortly.

"We do. Its just were not tired," Yoh explained.

"You're not tired? Gosh that's a shock."

"Ren, I know your mad at me and all but you don't have to take it out on Yoh," Horo said.

Ren shook his smiling. "No, no, no Horo. _Mad_ would be an understatement. I'm furious!"

Horo really did fall off the couch when Ren raised his voice. "Ok got it."

"Now, I am going to make myself something to eat. Would you like anything?" said Ren proving that he could be a better host then Horo.

"Sure thanks Ren," Yoh and Horo replied.

He smiled curtly and disappeared into the kitchen. With his head in the fridge he just happened to here Yoh say, "Very entertaining feet there Horo."

"Yeah, I guess," Horo muttered then shouted, "Hey Ren!"

"What!" he yelled back and returned to the living room.

"Do find me entertaining?" he asked.

Ren stared at him. _Dork._ "Do you want to know?"

"Yes."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Do you really, really want to know!"

"Yes!"

"Alright...I'd say...you were to dim to entertain a thought," Ren replied and smiled at Horo's face before returning to the kitchen. "I'm making soup."

"I don't like soup!" Horo whined.

"I expect you can't get it to stay on the fork can you?" Horo chose not to reply and Ren smiled. He had won this battle.

While waiting for the stove to heat up he leaned against the counter and caught the conversation from the living room.

"He's so mean to me!" Horo whined at Yoh.

"Then why do you love him?"

_Good question._ Ren thought.

"I don't know! He's wonderful and a good cook and he can be nice at times and -and god he's sexy!"

_ Uh EW._ Ren shuddered. _ Not pleasant._

"And then when he's being a jerk and incredibly mean I still can't help but love him!"

"Well-" Yoh started, but Horo cut across him in a loud voice. "Who darts think one thing and another tell my heart fittest him as the gates of hell!"

Ren stared at the entrance to the living room strangely. Was spotting poetry?

"So he's the gates of hell now?"

"Either that or he's the devil incarnate!"

Ren rolled his eyes and blocked out the rest of the conversation, in order to concentrate on the very late dinner, which didn't take that long to make. Separating it into three separate bowls he delivered them to the men in the living room and sat down next to Yoh. Horo looked slightly upset about that but didn't say anything.

They ate silently and none spoke until all the bowls were cleared. Ren had made Horo eat his despite his protests. Then ordered him to clean the bowls, which he agreed to only after Ren threatened to kill him a hundred times over.

"Ren, why are you being so mean to him? He's just trying to prove his love for you," Yoh said calmly.

"Please like I need that oafs love," Ren muttered.

"But you know you like him too."

"What!?"

"Or at least some what of the things he's doing to you. He told me," Yoh added.

Ren's eye twitched. That idiot. Just because he said once, just once, that it had been enjoyable didn't give him the right to tell everyone and parade around like they were a couple!

Yoh was watching him. "You can always close your eyes to the things you don't want to see...but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel."

Ren glared at him. "This is an excellent time for you to become a missing person."

Yoh shut his mouth fast. When Horo came back in he said. "What you did to him Horo, I suggest you never do again."

"Are you going to badger all of my support Ren?" Horo asked glaring slightly.

"Depends. Probably," Ren answered yawning.

"Why won't you just listen to me and them?"

"Because I don't listen anyone. And what made you so special?"

Horo's eye twitched slightly. "I love you. And your cold and selfish and probably wondering why someone would even take into consideration loving you. But I saw through that and I love you regardless."

Ren stared at him. Maybe there was some truth to his words but that still wouldn't make Ren love him, not in a million years.

"I would go to the end of the world for you," Horo said.

"Wonderful," Ren said. "Will you stay there too?"

Horo glared at him. "I'm just stating the truth."

"As so am I."

"Why are you so mistrusting and so fourth?"

"Because I am."

"That's not a good enough answer."

"Sure it is."

"Its not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"One who mistrusts most should be trusted least."

They turned and glared at Yoh who obviously got the point saying he should go home or Anna was going to kill him. Leaving them in silence, they had a furious, but silent argument, which really wasn't that bad regardless of the cuts and scraps the both received. However Horo did succeed in pining Ren down. But Ren wasn't going to take it. Not this time.

Giving Horo one chance to release him willingly, it was wasted however, he then forced Horo to let him go by moving his leg into the right position and kicking him away. Horo hit the floor with a loud thud. Standing up Ren placed the tip of his kawn do just inches from Horo's neck. Horo gazed up at him, sadness and fear flowing out onto his face.

"That's it," Ren said. "I am sick and tired of your bullshit!"

"Ren-" Horo started but Ren cut across him. "No shut up! You will pack up all your junk and I want you out of here by tomorrow morning!"

Horo blinked looking shocked. "But-but Ren-"

"Go back to you hotel and live off them! I don't you here!" Ren said angrily. He then pulled the kawn do away from Horo and disappeared upstairs leaving Horo alone to continplate his thoughts.

Only when Ren was upstairs did he feel that maybe he had been a little harsh. Just because he didn't like what Horo was doing it didn't mean he should be kicked out on to the street. Did it? Ren sighed. _But_ if they were separate maybe Horo would get over him and maybe they could still be friends.

He looked over at the clock. It was now 2:30am. He was tired and his brain ached. Maybe when he woke up later, everything would sort itself up.

Around dawn, however, Horo bounded into his room to try and convince him to let him stay. Ren unfortunately found it hard to go back to sleep and didn't exactly do so till five am, which meant he had only been asleep for an hour. He was not pleased when Horo came in and disturbed him from sleep.

It was either him calling "Ren! Ren!" or the jumping on the bed that awoke him, whatever it was it was really annoying, so the first words out of his mouth were, "Shut up and go away!"

"But Ren!" Horo whined. "You can't throw me out!"

"I sure as hell can. And if you don't leave me alone I'll throw you out now!"

"But Ren!"

"Shut up!" Ren sat up and glared at him. "I'm trying to sleep Ainu-baka! Leave me in peace!"

Horo pouted and preformed the puppy dog face.

"That's not going to work now," Ren said as nicely as possible to get him to leave.

Horo looked down at the bed. "Fine I'll leave. But first we have to talk."

"Fine talk."

Horo took a deep breath and said, "You know you're a very strong person. Everyone knows that. And brave. Can't forget brave. But it's easy to be brave from a safe distance." He paused and looked up at Ren. "When ever I got close to you, you would panic and suddenly change in character, before you built defenses against it. And that made you much more interesting."

Ren had remained quiet though Horo's speech. But he was right. Ren wouldn't let anyone get that close to him. Not ever.

"Please Ren!" Horo said. "Couldn't you try imagining your in love with me?"

"I'm sorry," Ren said trying to not sound mean but it came out that way anyway. "My imagination doesn't stretch that far."

Horo stared at him eyes full of hurt. He was asking him to do something that he couldn't. He couldn't love Horo. He just wanted to be friends. That should be enough.

"I want you to accept me, Ren."

Ren rolled his eyes. "I do accept you."

"You know what I mean," Horo said.

"Do you want me to accept you for who you are or do you want me to lie to myself and try to like you?"

"That's not the same. I want you to accept me and love without pretending."

"Well sorry. I'm not going to," replied Ren and he climbed out of bed. "Now come on. Out."

Horo sighed and climbed off the bed as well and returned to the guest room where he collected his things and went downstairs. Ren followed silently. When they had reached the door and Horo stood facing the cold winds of approaching December, he said, "If you should happen to fall in love with me, I'll be waiting."

Ren stared at him and softly said, "If I ever get that desperate, I won't be worth waiting for." And the door closed with a small snap.

**Ashuri: well here was chapter four. And its long. And Ren's being a jerk.**

**Ren: I'm always a jerk. What makes him so special?**

**Horo: I love you!**

**Ren: gah!**

**Ashuri: yeah. If you want to find out what happens next stay tuned. Ren won't be such a jerk in the future chapters. Questions? Comments? Read and review.**


	5. Cold, Heartless, and Caring

**Hao: Ashuri does not own shaman king.**

**Ashuri: look he did it without me asking. Anyway, before we launch into chapter five, we have to look at reviews first. I suggest reading my comments just in case I let slip something for a future chapter.**

**Reviews from chapter four:**

**Jiannetsuke-TAK**: **T^T all the chapters were cute (XD cute! damn! XD Poor Ren! he almost got raped! XD that's cute? XD) U_Uu ok ^O^ I liked all the chapters! ^O^ I hope that you continued with the next chapter T_T Horo-Horo can't leave... U_Uu well he can but... T_T. Hope to read the next chapter, Take Care. Bye-Bye** _yes all the chapters were cute, and I shall continue this story that is consuming my life at the moment. Thx._

**Jen-Tao07:**** yep, Ren woz a bit harsh. bit disappointed bout him kicking Horo out. wonder wots gonna happen in the next ones**. _Don't think harshness is a crime, but you'll have to wait and see what happens...well this is the next chapter._

**Anonymous review:**** myeew...! its sad...I love it! though Horo is getting a tad desperado, ne? I love despair, I hope Ren breaks, cause if not, im gonna break him till he likes Horo back. *hmph* _ keep updating, okies?** _Yes Horo is getting desperate. Separation may do him good. Ren...breaking...far off in the not so near future. But yeah. I'll update. But for the record because I know then ending, Ren breaking in my head, is very, very weird. So we'll see._

**KimBob:**** OH NO! Poor Horo, getting kicked into the cold and snow! WAH!** _Technically he still had money when Ren kicked him out. And he went and stayed at a hotel. So he really wasn't out in the snow. Besides he likes the snow. _

**Emic192:**** well... I'm not a really big fan of yaoi, but at least I can read it This story is really good! But you shouldn't say fuck so much, Ren's favorite word is supposed to be bastard**_ Again with the FUCK. I get it. Alright. Fuck was only in chapter three once. And it was in Chinese. And it was not in chapter four at all. And I'm sorry if my lack of 'varying' annoys you, but that is the way I tend to write. Sorry if this sounds mean. And thank you for reading it regardless of not being a big fan of yaoi._

**Spiritsflame:**** Ouch, poor Horo, no one seems to like him much. Does Ren go after him? I hope so. It won't be any fun if Horo begs to stay, or come back. Write more soon!** _Yeah no one does do they? Hmm. Hopefully this chapter will answer your question. _

**Giftoftheelves:**** Oh no my poor poor Horo! You are evil...but dam you're a good writer Rock-On!** _Why thankies! Big compliment. And yes I am evil. Muah ha! Anyway, I think you're a good writer too!_

**Anonymous review:**** REN! You're being So mean! ! ! ! ! I bet You'll miss Horo! I bet you will! Update please ^_^** _ depends on what you mean by miss. _

**Ashuri: sorry if my rant up there annoyed anyone. But like I said I like reviews and feedback and suggestions, just not the same suggestion all the time. If you could here me and my friends at school you would understand why I wrote it that way. Keep reviewing cause I love reading reviews. Oh and I'm doing requests and collaborations. Check my profile for information.**

Chapter five: cold, heartless, and caring.

About a week into December, Ren began to feel the after effects of his decision. He couldn't deny that the house seemed...empty without Horo. Or rather without his lack of tidiness, running and yelling about, and flicking rice across the room.

At times he thought about how he was doing. He hadn't heard from him since he kicked him out, so he didn't know if he left the hotel and found another place to stay. He did feel sorry, slightly, however when he remembered what Horo tired to pull, any thoughts of finding him, where pushed to the back of his head.

One day, Ren decided to go Christmas shopping, which he couldn't believe he hadn't done sooner, as Christmas was fast approaching. He spent the entire day in the mall browsing shops, looking for anything that was dubbed as a suitable gift. When he was finished he was about to leave when he realized that he hadn't bought Horo's gift. He almost slapped himself with the bag holding Jun's new dress.

He had been so busy trying not to feel guilty about throwing him out by not thinking of him that he almost forgot to by his gift. Ren growled and started muttering things before turning around and looking for some store, for some gift. A sporting goods store caught his eye and he wandered over.

In the window he saw, possibly the most expensive snow board in the store, probably because cause it was a top brand model. He vaguely recalled a conversation with Horo two months ago about it.

_"It's the fastest, coolest snow board ever!" Horo said pressing his face against the glass, eyes shining. _

_ "Its also super expensive," Ren commented spying the price tag. _

_ "I know!" Horo whined with longing. "But I have to have it!" _

_ "I still don't see what's so great about a snow board." _

_ "It's the top brand championship snow board Ren! If I had this I-I would be the best snow boarder ever!" _

_ "You already think you're the best snow boarder ever." said Ren gazing at the board. _

_ "But with this I will be!" Horo said. _

_ "But first, I suggest you save your money and by an apartment first," Ren said and dragged him away. _

_ Horo sighed. "I guess you're right." _

_ "Of course I am."_

Ren stared at the board. It was a very nice gift and Horo would positively faint at the sight of it. But was he deserving of it? His mind asked. Certainly one did not buy a super expensive gift for an undeserving person. However Horo was deserving of it because he could put up with Ren and his anger issues, among other things, of which Ren was trying not to think of. Five minutes later Ren found himself leaving the sporting goods store with the highly expensive snow board added to his many purchases.

He walked to his car and ceremoniously dumped them into the trunk and climbed into the drivers seat. Normally he would've had some one drive him but surprisingly today he felt like driving. It was kind of relaxing. Except when your stuck in a traffic jam.

At about the second pair of traffic lights, something way in front of him, out of his line of sight caused the traffic to stop flowing. Clutching the steering wheel he tired to see what was going on. "Come on you bastards! Move!" But to now avail. "Shit!" A nice day just turned sour.

After about five minutes, someone knocked on the door. "What do you want?" asked Ren rolling down the window.

"An officer said that the traffics not going to move for a while. So you might as well find something else to do besides sit here," the person said.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Bugger off. I'm going to stay in my car." The person stared at him and walked off to talk to another person to Ren's rolling up of the window.

Another five minutes went by and the silence began to become unnerving so Ren flipped on the radio.

_...I try to forget you, but without you, I feel nothing. Don't leave me here by myself I can't breathe. I run to you, call out your name, I see you there, farther away..._

He snapped the radio off again. The song had struck a cord in his mind, reminding him of Horo. And speaking of Horo.

He had been gazing absent mindedly out the window, when a blue haired someone appeared. Ren stared at him. It was defiantly Horo, but he looked terrible. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and he was walking slowly. Because the traffic wasn't going to move any time soon, Ren climbed out of the car and went over to him.

"Horo," he said.

Horo looked at him. He looked really tired. There was no warmth in his eyes but he smiled, like he had forgotten how, when he looked at Ren. "Hi Ren," his voice sounded hoarse. "How are you?"

"Fine" Ren said. "And you?"

"I'm ok." Horo said and turned his head away in a coughing fit.

"Are you sure?" Ren asked slightly concerned.

Horo nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you still staying at the hotel?"

"Um no. I ran out of money and got evicted."

"Where have you been staying then?" Ren inquired.

"Around," replied Horo in another coughing fit.

"Are you sure your ok? You seem kinda sick."

"Its just a cold. I'm fine," he smiled at Ren and took a step and fell forward. Ren caught him just in time.

"Cold my ass! Horo! Get up!" Horo groaned something and tired to stand but ended up falling over again. "You idiot! You are sick aren't you?" Ren thundered. Another groan from Horo. Ren sighed and was about to buckle under Horo's weight when he became unconscious. Dead weight was heavy weight.

Being unable to think of any other solution to the situation, Ren heaved Horo over to his car and pushed him into the back seat. Climbing into the front he forgot about the traffic jam. "Dammit!" he yelled in exasperation slamming his hand into steering wheel. Of all times to have a traffic jam.

He started cursing under his breath in Chinese, Japanese, and English. Ten minutes later cursing lost its novelty and banging his head against the steering wheel became the alternative. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" he repeated over and over, Horo still unconscious in the back.

Ren's frustration level was very high. He wanted to rip the steering wheel right out and chuck it at someone. And snow did not improve it. He snarled at the falling snow. "Damn weather!"

After a half an hour of waiting, the traffic started to move as the snow fell faster. "About time," Ren muttered. The traffic was moving, but at a slow pace, Ren still didn't know what happened to make it stop, and by the time the traffic pick up its pace he stopped caring. To ease the silence and to stop himself from muttering, it was annoying him, he flicked on the radio for a second time.

_Every time we lie awake after every hit we take, every feeling that I get, but I haven't missed you yet, only when I stop to think about it. I hate everything about you, why do I love you. You hate everything about me, why do you love. I hate, you hate, I hate, you love me. I hate everything about you, why do I love you._

Ren growled. Why was every song on the bloody radio reminding him of Horo and himself? There was nothing he could do about it, thought writing to the radio station and telling them to pick better music was awfully tempting. The radio remained on. By the time he reached his home however, he wanted to chuck it out the window.

Getting out of the car, he went to the back and proceeded to drag Horo out and along the path to the front door. The first obstacle was trying the unlock the door without placing Horo on the ground. He managed it somehow. The next obstacle was dragging Horo up the stairs. It proved no easy feet. He almost dropped him several times and Ren winced when Horo's head accidently hit the hand railing.

On the landing, Ren's arms were getting really sore and he wouldn't even think of dragging Horo all the way to the guest room which was at the end of the hall, so the only alternative was to stick him in his own room. And that's what he did. He was dragged in there heaved him onto the bed and covered him up right after Ren removed his boots and jacket. Ren collapsed onto the floor breathing heavily, either it was the dead weight, or Horo needed to go on a diet.

Ren rolled onto his stomach. He really couldn't administer any medicine till Horo woke up, so there was nothing else to do. He contemplated getting up and going to sleep in the guest room, but his legs felt like they couldn't support him, after his long trek up the stairs. He groaned and turned to face his clock. It was well after dinner time. _The stupid traffic jam!_ He thought.

He took off his own coat and boots just to lay on the floor. After a minute he realized the presents were still in the trunk of his car. He groaned and made some whining noise of protest when his body, by force of habit, made to get up and go get them. They could wait to tomorrow. Its not like they were going to grow legs and walk away.

He closed his eyes to rest, before at least going and getting a snack, but, no one likes to let Ren rest, the phone rang. Ren made another whining noise of protest and swung his body around and groped around on the table for the phone. "Hello?" he said when he found it.

_ "Hi_ _Ren!"_ It was Yoh.

"What do want Yoh?" Ren asked.

_ "Hey are you ok? You sound really tired?"_

"No, I'm talking this way on purpose because I'm trying to act like you," Ren said in annoyance. 

_ "Oh ok. Never mind then. I just called to remind you that- what yes I'm about to tell him Anna, don't hit me!" _

Ren sighed as it sounded like Yoh was getting beaten on the opposite end for something. That damn woman was so annoying.

_ "OW!_"Yoh said into the phone. _"Anyway um I'm just reminding you that the time of arrival has changed from six o'clock to five o'clock. You need to be there by then." _

"And that's on Christmas day right?" Ren asked.

_ "Yeah. Oh and if you see Horo before I do, can you tell him?" _Ren assured Yoh that he would and said goodbye.

Laying back down on the floor, he didn't feel remotely like going down stairs anymore, or to the guest room for that matter. He sighed. Maybe he'll just sleep here on the floor, it was comfortable actually...

"Ren."

Ren rolled over, still asleep to someone softly calling his name. He was so comfortable that he didn't to wake up.

"Ren," the voice said again.

"Go away," he muttered.

"Ren, I threw up on your bed."

Ren's eyes flew open. "What!" he jumped up and gazed around at Horo who was wake, to the bed with the puke on it. "Horo!" he said in whining voice.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Ren made some more whining noises and ordered Horo to get off the bed, which he did, or rather fell off the bed into Ren's arms. If Horo hadn't been sick, Ren would've hit him. Placing Horo on the floor, he stripped the bed of sheets and took them down stairs to the washing machine and threw them in, before going to the cupboard and getting clean ones. He also grabbed a bucket, just incase Horo threw up again.

When the clean sheets were in place, Ren gave Horo some pajama's and took his cloths down to the washing machine as well and told him to get back into bed. Now that he was awake, Ren could detect what was ailing him. He had a fever, a headache, nausea, fatigue, dry coughing, nasal congestion and possibly indigestion. Ren wouldn't know for sure until Horo ate something. He only had medicine for headaches at the moment so he told Horo to go back to sleep until he returned from the drugstore with medicine to deal with his other ailemts.

When he got back he also brought the Christmas gifts upstairs and locked them in his closet. "My gift wouldn't be in there would it?" Horo asked when Ren gave him his medicine.

"Yes if you must know. And no peeking," said Ren closing the bottle of cough syrup.

"Ok. That stuff tastes horrible? How long do I have to take it?"

"Until you get better."

"Am I allowed to stay until I get better?" Horo asked hopefully.

"I may be cold and heartless, but I'm not above caring enough, to throw you out side in the snow when you can barely walk," Ren said.

"I take that as a yes?"

"Yes. You may stay until your better."

"Hurra!" Horo said happily.

Ren almost laughed. "Go to sleep," he said.

"Oh ok. Renny."

Ren shook his head smiling and walked out of the room.

And so began the long task of nursing Horo back to health. It was only long because Horo tried to get out of taking the medicine, which Ren strongly believed he was doing so, so he could stay in the house. Ren found ways to force him however. Sometimes it looked like Horo was better, but on closer inspection, he really wasn't.

One day, Ren had just finished giving Horo his medicine, and had gone downstairs to make some lunch for them both, deaf to Horo's stammers about not being hungry. _"You won't get better if you don't eat,"_ Ren had said., when the doorbell rang. Blinking he wandered over and opened it. It was Yoh, followed closely by Anna.

"Hi Ren. Sorry to bother you," said Yoh. Ren shook his head and said that he wasn't really bothered. "We just wanted to know if you've heard from Horo recently. Because we can't find him."

"Oh yeah I've heard from him," said Ren and Horo's voice called from upstairs. "Ren! I have to use the bathroom!" Horo still could walk so Ren had to help him.

"Just a minute!" he yelled upstairs.

"I didn't know you let Horo move back in with you," Yoh said.

"No. He's not living here. He's just staying here. Until he gets better," Ren said calmly.

"Is he sick?" "Yep," Ren said nodding. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"Same thing I told you on the phone a while ago," replied Yoh.

"Oh right. He knows."

"Oh ok. See you later," and they left.

Ren went back up stairs to help Horo to the bathroom. "Maybe you should at least try

to walk." Ren suggested when he had finished. "I suppose." Horo said and took a couple of steps forward before stopping. "My legs hurt."

"Well no duh. You haven't used them in the past while, so of course they're going to be sore."

Horo blinked and continued to walk slowly, very slowly, turtle pace slow, to the bed. When he got there he hoisted himself up, with a little help from Ren and layed down. Ren turned to go back down stairs and make lunch.

"Ren," Horo said sitting up.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For taking care of me."

"That's what friends do," he said and left.

**Ashuri: chapter five is finished. I could have made it slightly longer but I decided to end it there and yeah. Hope you enjoyed it. Read and review please. **


	6. Ren's Dream

**Hao: Ashuri does not own shaman king.**

**Ashuri: yeah. Not so many reviews as last time but that's ok.**

**Spiritsflame:**** Kawii! (I hope that means cute, and not some horrible swear...) More soon! Oh, ans when I said every one hate aHoro I got it mixed up with the wrong fic! GOMENASAI! I'M SO SORRY!** _That's alright. No worrys. And cute in Japanese is spelled 'Kawaii". You forgot the other 'A'._

**Gift-of-the-elves:**** aw, Ren does care... a little. Yey hope to hear more soon k! And thank you for holding back on your evil urges to make Horo suffer Rens nasty mood while hes sick. He better get better, poor Horo. Bye Bye! Rock-On!** _Yeah Horo really didn't need to suffer, no matter how much I wanted him too._

**Kimbob:**** Yay! Ren's so nice! Poor Horo... It sounded really bad there at first. I love the traffic jam and radio humor! Keep up the ACE work!** _Yes the humor was awesome! Its was fun writing it. Heh. Thankies! _

**Anonymous:**** Next chapter! PLEEZ! *begs*** _your begging has been granted._

**Ashuri: and without further ado, considering the absence on my part-**

**Ren: -which is another way of saying she was to lazy-**

**Ashuri:- here is chapter six.**

Chapter six: Ren's dream.

It was a long, long, long, hallway. A long hallway with doors, situated on both sides, as far as the eye could see. Nothing really interesting about that. It was so completely deprived of interesting facts, that if Ren had not been dreaming, he strongly believed he would have fallen asleep again. What was with this dream anyway?

Its not like he was prone to dreams. He had them once in a while. And they were normally interesting, like maybe about killing someone. But this one, was very high on the weirdo scale, next to Yoh's obsession with oranges and Soul Bob, and Horo's new found ability to keep himself sick when he's supposed to be getting better.

Ren sighed. Judging by the fact that he had been so tired early today, after having to run to the store several times, to get medicine and food for Horo, he kept throwing up and his fever wouldn't go down, he knew he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, and so he decided to make the best of his weirdo dream. He started walking down the hallway.

_What's with the doors?_ He thought. _Should I open one?_ He stopped in front of a door. The door was big and painted purple in color. Not lilac, not lavender, but dark purple. And it sported shiny brass handles, so shiny that they reflected the unseen light. _How boring._ He thought again and opened the door. He stared.

_Ren stared at Horo with a very strong look of displeasure, wearing a flowered apron and holding a feather duster in his left hand which was placed on his hip. "You promised you would go shopping." _

_ Horo smiled weakly. "I'm sorry Ren dear, but, you see it snowed and I really wanted to go snowboarding...and-" _

_ "What did I tell you!" Ren thundered. "If you want me to stay here with you, you have to help out! I'm tired of doing all the work! I think I'll just leave!" _

_ "No!" Horo said jumping up and down. "You can't leave me!" _

_ "Then get your act together or I will!" Ren said and left the room. _

_ Horo followed. "I'm sorry, Ren." _

_ Ren rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you are." _

_ Horo wrapped his arms around Ren's waist and Ren stopped dusting. "I really, really am." _

_ "Fine. Just don't do it again." _

_ "I love you Ren." _

_ "I love you too Horo." And-_

Ren slammed the door shut. _That was disturbing._ He leaned against the wall. _Oh god._ Now having opened the door, wishing he hadn't, he believed that they either showed future events or past, and that the thing he was dreading was going to happen. He shuddered. _Crap. _He gave the door a very ugly look and ran down the hall away from it.

After a while of running he stopped in front of some doors that were painted sapphire blue and had shiny silver handles. After what happened with the last door Ren serious wondered if he should _dare_ to open it. Curiosity, got the best of him however. Reaching for a handle he thought that maybe if he played along, the dream would end faster. Gripping the handle he prepared for the worst. He swung it open.

_"Please, enlighten me. I agreed to go out with you , and you decided that the best place for us to go, would be to a gay bar?" Ren asked trying to sound cool and calm, but the anger was showing in the way he was gripping the glass. _

_ "Yep." Horo said happily. _

_ "You dense irritating miniature beast of burden," Ren whispered to himself. _

_ "What was that?" _

_ "Nothing." He sighed. Maybe the evening go by fast? _

_ Some dude walked up to him. "Oi darling, do you really want to enjoy yourself with me?" he asked. _

_ Ren gave him a smile. "Sorry, I couldn't possibly entertain the thought of spending time with someone who splits infinitives." _

_ The dude obviously hadn't understood a word he said, but left regardless. Horo's eye was twitching. Ren was enjoying this. _

_ "Horo," he said. "He was hitting me. I think you should hurt him." _

_ Horo didn't need telling twice. He got up and picked a fight with him._ _As the glasses got thrown, Ren concluded that maybe the evening wasn't a total loss._

Ren closed the door slowly. He turned away and walked down the hall. _That was disturbing as well._ He shuddered again. The last place he wanted to be, besides in bed with Horo, was in a gay bar. Or was it the other way around. He looked around hoping to spot something so he could beat himself on the head, but found nothing. He sighed and made the whining noises he was now prone to making when something didn't go his way. Horo was now trained to do whatever Ren wanted when Ren whined, however, Horo was not there and he was cold.

Ren shivered. He felt like something was going to happen. After walking for a while, he stumbled upon a pair of pink doors with gold handles. He didn't want to open anymore, but one of them flew open anyway.

_"What's this?" Ren asked shaking the chocolate box. _

_ "Chocolate." Horo said. _

_ "I meant like what's its for?" _

_ "Valentines day," Horo replied flushing. _

_ "Oh." said Ren. "But I thought that on Valentines day, women give chocolate to men, so that they would see them as potential girlfriends. And a month later men would give gifts back to women." _

_ Horo blinked and his blush increased. Ren noticed and smiled. "Thanks Horo."_

It was short and Ren wanted to gag. _Gross. If Horo ever gave me chocolate I'd beat him with it._ This dream was seriously disturbing. He felt like he would need therapy after it was done. He sighed. When was he going to wake up?

He froze. Something was behind him. He could feel it. Ren turned slowly wishing he hadn't. He was staring into the eyes of a large, white, stuffed rabbit. Ren jumped back. "What the hell!?" The rabbit blinked and Ren wished he had his kawn do.

The rabbit spoke to him. "You love me Ren. You know you do."

Ren backed up.

"Come on Ren. We'll have a wonderful life together." Ren made his whining noises. "We'll be happy!"

He glared at the rabbit and ran away. It was a dream. Just dream. It couldn't hurt him. How wrong he was. The rabbit, in one giant leap, pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

"You love me Ren!"

"No! Leave me alone!" Ren yelled and his eyes snapped open.

His heart was pounding as he gazed wide eyed at the curtains covering the window. He had almost been squashed by a giant rabbit. He sighed and started to laugh, psychotically. "It was a dream! Heh. Heh." He placed his hands over his eyes and continued to laugh silently. After he was finished he laid there and made fun of himself for being frightened. Then wanted to beat up Horo, for the rabbit sounded like him. "Stupid Horo."

A hand landed on Ren's cheek.

"Huh." Ren looked over his shoulder and found himself sleeping next to Horo. He yelped and toppled off the bed. The yelp woke Horo.

"Good morning Ren," he said.

" . .Here?" he said noticing that he was in his own room, the not the guest room, where he was currently sleeping.

"Oh. Well you were very tired yesterday and you didn't really want to go all the way to the guest room, so you kinda crawled in and went to sleep."

"Intentionally?"

"Yeah." Ren hit himself on the head. "Baka." Then he got up and locked himself in the bathroom. He looked kinda pale, probably from the dream and he still looked tired. But he decided to not dwell on the dream, as the dream was bad news. Splashing cold water on his face, he felt it was better to ground the issue.

When he exited the room he found Horo by the door doing the potty dance. "Finally!" he exclaimed and ran into the bathroom.

Instead of standing there and listening to Horo relieving himself, Ren wandered back into his room, to get dressed there for a change. He had just been about to pull a clean shirt over his head when he spotted, a white stuffed rabbit.

He stared at it. It was the same one in his dream. He was so busy staring at it, that he hadn't realized that Horo, who was now standing in the doorway, was staring at his partially naked body. He did notice when Horo made some noise of longing. Ren sighed and put his shirt on. "Here we go again." he muttered.

"Maybe you should walk around without a shirt," Horo said.

"For who's amusement? Yours or mine?" Ren asked. Horo didn't answer.

Ren didn't really want to argue over the, "I love you factor" this early so he pointed at the rabbit and asked. "What the hell is that?"

Horo laughed. "Pirka sent it to me two Christmas's ago."

"And you still have it?"

"Yeah why not?" "Aren't you a little too old to be sleeping with stuffed animals?" Ren asked.

"I don't sleep with it." replied Horo.

"Right," Ren said. "What's the big deal about it anyway?"

"Big deal!? It almost squashed me!"

Horo raised an eyebrow. "Squashed you? Ren are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. I am perfectly fine. I am perfectly sane." He stared laughing psychotically again.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Ren said nodding and laughing. "Fine," he almost walked into the wall. "Just fine." Ren disappeared downstairs and started to make breakfast however when he got there, there was a gift with a note tied to it.

Ren started at it and finally opened it. It was chocolate cake. Ren's mouth watered. "Chocolate!" He stared at the note. It read: _Maybe one day this dream will come true. Its all I'm wishing for, to be with you. Happy Christmas. Horo._

Due to the fact that Ren had said he would beat Horo with the chocolate if he ever gave him some, and the fact that he felt the note fit with his weirdo dream, he yelled at Horo to get his lazy ass down the stairs.

When Horo arrived, he looked kinda scared. "Y-yeah?"

"Thank you."

**Ashuri: this chapter is super weird, but I needed to add something before we get to Christmas so yeah. Ren was acting kind psychotic. Oh well. He's on the verge of cracking. I put this chapter off to long. Probably because I got stuck on what to write, and I have super long nails, and that impairs my typing. Its annoying. Anyway. Please read and review.**


	7. Christmas

**Hao: Ashuri does not own shaman king and la de da.**

**Reviews.**

**Spiritsflame:**** Kawai! Super cute. Did anyone else notice that all of the 'potentail futures' not one of them was Ren without Horo. ^^** _I did. Oh wait that's cause I wrote it. Heh glad you thought it was cute, even though Ren went a little too psychotic. It was Kawaii!_

**Gift-of-the-elves:**** Wo Ren is dreaming of Horo that's a start oh Horo realt is darling at times and Ren is not darling but something nice...don't have a word for it. That ruled and I was sat at the edge of my seat trying to get really really close to the screen to read more and more I would very much like to see more when you have the time Rock-On!** _I think the dude who called Ren darling was drunk so that's why he said that. Dunno I just wanted Horo to cause I bar fight so yeah. I think if you got close enough to the screen you wouldn't be able to read it. It would blur. But glad you enjoyed it! Excellent!_

**Jiannetsuke-TAK**: **T-T sorry for not reviewthe other chapter T_T it was really sweet... This chapter it was weird byt cool... really awesome ^_^ I like very much you fic... Take care and have fun in spring break... Bye-Bye** _yes the chapter was weird. Ren is cracking. Or going insane. Either or. That's for reviewing! I'm alone all spring break so it should be great! _

Chapter seven: Christmas

At long last Christmas came. The weeks of waiting all seemed worth it when you woke up on Christmas day, and excitement of opening gifts took hold. Children were ecstatic and loved to run around their houses annoying their parents, begging for their presents. And normally you would expect an adult to be excited but remain calm and collected. And so at the present time, Ren serious doubted that Horo was an adult.

At the crack of dawn, obviously feeling much better, Horo was up and running around yelling, "Its Christmas! Its Christmas!" Ren, as always when Horo was being a pest in the morning, rolled over and remained asleep, that is until Horo bounded into the guest room and started to jump on the bed. "Get up Ren!" Ren grumbled something and pulled the blankets up higher.

Horo sighed and sat down. He stared at Ren for a while before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Again Ren grumbled something and didn't open his eyes. Horo smiled mischievously and decided to see what he could get away with.

He kissed Ren again on the cheek. Ren didn't move. He poked Ren in the head a couple times. Ren didn't move. He blew sharply in Ren's ear. Ren still didn't move. Horo blinked. Either Ren was now a very deep sleeper, which he doubted, or he was very good at ignoring him, which he also doubted, or he wanted to see what Horo would do.

Pausing as if wondering if he should press his luck, he closed his eyes and kissed Ren on the

lips. It didn't get Ren's attention. Horo sighed. Why wouldn't Ren wake up? He looked at the clock. Maybe it was too early. The clock read six thirty. It _was _too early. Horo sighed again and climbed off the bed. Now he was bored. Taunting Ren while he slept wasn't much fun without Ren getting upset over it.

He walked over to the door. What could he do for three hours? Horo racked his brain thinking. After a minute he had it. He would clean the house as a big _thank you_ to Ren for taking care of him while he was sick. And then he would make breakfast.

"Excellent," Horo said and closing the door went down stairs to clean.

When Ren woke up three hours later, there was a tingling sensation on his lips. Sitting up groggily he couldn't register what it was. Deciding to worry about it later he got up and went to the bathroom. When he was finished he yawned and gazed lazily into the mirror above the sink. He was so tired. Horo had kept him up most of the night, running around all excited that Christmas was the next day. It took along time to calm him down, so Ren didn't get to sleep till two AM.

Leaving the bathroom he smelt something like pancakes from downstairs. Blinking he walked down the stairs and stopped dead staring at the living room. It was spotless. The dust that had settled because Ren couldn't get around to cleaning was gone, as were the dishes left there and pieces of paper. Ren pinched himself. Maybe he was still sleeping. It hurt. Nope he was awake.

Turning toward the kitchen, he spotted Horo there, making pancakes. _Wait a minute, Horo was making breakfast?_ Ren stared.

Horo noticed because he turned and smiled at Ren. "Morning Ren," he said flipping the pancakes.

"Morning," Ren replied still staring.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? Making breakfast."

"Why?"

"Because it's a thank you," Horo said getting plates from the cupboard.

"Why?" asked Ren sitting down.

"Because you took care of me while I was sick."

"Oh."

Horo placed the pancakes on the plate, put them on the table and got Ren a big glass of milk from the fridge and some juice for him. Ren was still staring. "Why are you staring?" asked Horo after a while.

"Cause I'm awestruck," replied Ren.

"Ah I see. Well dig in," said Horo and started to wolf down his food.

Ren sighed and began to eat. It wasn't that bad. When they were finished Ren said, "I'm amazed you know how to cook."

"Pirka taught me," Horo said and began to clean their plates.

"Ah yes the sister must teach the brother everything, even though he is older."

Horo laughed and Ren got up to stretch. It was nice to not have to cook in the morning.

As Horo cleaned Ren watched him absent mindedly thinking about the tingling sensation that had been on his lips earlier. He still couldn't think of what it was. Maybe he was too tired and his brain didn't want to work. He sighed still watching Horo who got fascinated with the soap bubbles and started to blow them all over the place. Ren wasn't paying attention and didn't notice.

Horo turned to look at Ren, when he didn't get scolded for making a mess. The fact that Ren was staring at him and not noticing what he was doing was surprising. Putting the plates away, watching Ren out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ren's eyes followed him. Even though Ren wasn't glaring it was kind of scary. Horo cleaned up the soap bubbles and stood in front of Ren.

"Ren?" he asked.

Ren blinked. "Hmm what?"

"Never mind," he said and got the cleaning supplies to clean the cupboards.

"Did you clean the living room?"

"Yeah."

"Well thank you," Ren said.

"No problem," replied Horo.

Because they didn't have to go to Yoh's till five, Horo spent most the day cleaning and Ren went back to sleep. Around noon Horo tired to wake Ren up for breakfast but Ren didn't want to wake up. When he softly shook Ren's shoulder Ren said something like, "Leave me alone you stupid fat rabbit!"

Horo stared at him and fought the urge to laugh. He shook Ren's shoulder again. "Ren, you have wake up." "

No you stupid rabbit! I don't love you! And I don't want to be happy with you!"

Horo bust out laughing and surprisingly it didn't wake Ren up he just yelled. As Horo laughed Ren yelled things like, "Leave me alone!" "Go away!" "Death to your family!" and "Don't touch me!" The most surprising thing that happened was Ren yelled, "Horo!"

Horo looked at Ren. He was still sleeping. "Yeah?" he said wondering if Ren could hear him.

"Help me!"

"How so?"

"I don't know do something! It's going to eat me!"

"Ren rabbits don't eat humans," Horo said laughing.

"Then it's trying to make me love it!" Ren said in horror.

"Well why don't you love it?"

"Cause it's smelly and ugly and I don't like it."

Horo laughed again and looked around. He spotted his _small_ stuffed rabbit on a table. Why was it there again? He wandered over and took it from the room. The thing obviously was giving Ren nightmares somehow. Returning to the guest room Ren said, "I'm saved. Thank you Horo."

"Sure," replied Horo, amazed that Ren was still sleeping.

Horo stared at him until Ren muttered, "Maybe one day this dream will come true, it's all I'm wishing for, to be with you." Horo blinked. That was written on the card that he gave to Ren along with the chocolate cake. Ren actually remembered it? That was strange.

"Horo," Ren said.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you still here?"

"Dunno. Do you want me too leave?" asked Horo.

"...no."

Horo sat on the edge of the bed. "Ok I'll stay then."

After a minute Horo, wondering why he was talking to Ren while he was sleeping, asked, "Do you hate me Ren?"

"No."

"Do you like me as a friend?"

"Yes," answered Ren.

"Do you love me Ren?"

"..." Ren didn't answer.

"Ren?" Horo said and Ren opened his eyes.

"That was a great nap," he said a little to quickly. Horo narrowed his eyes. "What?" Ren asked. Horo shook his head sadly. "Nothing. Lunch time."

After lunch they lounged around and Horo badgered Ren about opening his gift. Ren said no, as he would be opening them later along with his other gifts. Horo pouted and didn't press the issue. As it neared five o'clock, they picked up Ren's gifts and started to walk to Yoh's, as Ren said there would be drinking and didn't trust Horo enough to not drink and he didn't feeling like calling the limo dude to come and get them. Horo said on the way that before he got evicted from the hotel, he went out and bought everyone's gifts. Ren said that was smart and Horo beamed.

As they neared the Asakura household, Yoh came flying out the front door. "Hey guys!" he said looking fearfully behind him.

"Hey Yoh. What's up?" Horo said.

"Anna's trying to get me to help Ryu make dinner, but I don't want to!" he grabbed Horo's shoulders. "You have to help me!"

"Um how?" Horo asked.

"Help Ryu make dinner for me."

"I'm not that good. Anna might kill me," Horo said.

Ren rolled his eyes. "How about you take the gifts up to the house and I'll help Ryu."

Yoh hugged Ren tightly. "Thank you!" Ren patted him awkwardly noticing Horo's not so happy look.

When Yoh released him, Ren went inside to help Ryu, leaving Horo and Yoh to get the gifts. "So how are things with Ren?" Yoh asked.

"Fine."

"Is that only because you were sick and couldn't try anything on him?"

"Partially," Horo said giving him a look.

"YOH! HURRY UP AND GET INSIDE!"

"Yes Anna!"

Things went smoothly as more guest arrived. Manta, Faust, Jun and Chocolove, to be exact. With Ren helping Ryu, the dinner got made faster and was very enjoyable. Horo, who seemed to be a little quiet after arriving, opened up a lot after a few drinks, much to Ren's displeasure. After dinner, they all gathered around the large Christmas tree and proceeded to open the gifts. The laughing and tearing of rapping paper filled the house. Even Ren enjoyed himself and had been right about Horo fainting at the sight of the snow board, even if it was just for a minute or so.

When he regained consciousness he threw his arms around Ren and hugged him tightly. "Oh god! Thank you Ren!"

Ren smiled and gave Horo a small hug. "Your welcome."

Because Ren had not beaten Horo for touching him, Jun, came to the conclusion that they were together. She ruined the evening, for Ren anyway. He chased her around the house for a good five minutes before going to the bathroom. Wanting to cause damage to something, he almost punched the mirror, but contained himself.

Leaving the bathroom he spotted Horo outside the door. "What are you doing?' Ren asked.

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't hugged you Jun wouldn't have said that and she wouldn't have ruined your evening."

"Horo, you're a very outgoing person, so hugging, when your happy, comes naturally. Therefor, no matter what, you would have hugged me anyway."

Horo nodded. "I'm still sorry though."

"Fine."

Ren heard Horo sigh and saw him look up at the ceiling. Horo smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Ren inquired.

Horo pointed. "Mistletoe."

Ren looked up and tired to edge away.

"Come on Ren."

"N-no!"

Horo grabbed him around the middle. "It's Christmas though. And when your under the mistletoe you have to kiss the person."

"N-no! You can't make me!"

And they argued. This is what it sounded like from the sitting room.

_"Kiss me!" _

_ "You'll have to drug me first!" _

_ "I know you want me too!" _

_ "In your dreams!" _

_ "Maybe one day this dream will come true-" "_

_ Stop saying that!" _

_ "Ren!" _

_ "No!" _

_ "Just one little kiss!" _

_ "N-no!" _

_ "Please!" _

_ "No! Stop it!" _

_ "I know you love me Ren!" _

_ "Ahhhh! The rabbits controlling you!" _

_ "Hahaha that's right!" _

_ "Ahhh!" _

_ "Now kiss me!" _

_ "NOOO!" _

_ "..." _

_ "Don't pout!" _

_ "..." _

_ "Neh." _

_ "..." _

_ "Ah god dammit. Fine." _

_ "Really!?" _

_ "Then leave me alone." _

_ "No problem."_

Horo leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ren's. Ren went into his ridged, _I am not going to kiss you_ form. However, after a few seconds found himself kissing back. He tired to pull away, but his body wasn't cooperating. When Horo pulled away, the tingling sensation from the morning was on his lips again. Because it was Christmas, Ren tried not to get angry.

"You kissed me this morning didn't you?"

"I was trying to wake you up."

"What time was this?"

"6:30."

"6:30! Horo you know very well that I'm not awake that early!"

"I know. But I didn't know it was 6:30. I'm sorry."

Ren sighed angrily. "Whatever. J-just don't do it again."

Horo nodded. Walking back to the sitting room, they found everyone staring at them. "What are you looking at?" Ren snarled. They adverted their gaze. Looking over at a clock it was around ten.

"I'm going home." Ren said. "Goodbye."

"Bye!"

Getting his jacket he found Horo behind him. "I know, as soon as I get better I'm supposed to leave. But can I stay for one more night?"

"I suppose."

"Thanks Ren," said Horo smiling. He called goodbyes and left with Ren.

It was snowing, but it was nice outside. They stared walking silently. A couple of minutes past and Ren sat down on a bench.

Horo sat down beside him. "What's up?"

Ren remained silent. He didn't really want to go home, but everyone staring at him was annoying and he wanted to be removed from their presence.

"You know," Horo said. "You say funny things while you sleep."

"Like what?" "No you stupid rabbit! I don't love you! And I don't want to be happy with you!" Horo recited.

Ren stared at him and flushed. _How embarrassing._ "I was having a nightmare."

"Yeah I concluded that much. How did it end?"

"..."

"Well?" asked Horo, even though he was aware of the answer.

"You saved me," Ren said and looked away his flush deepening.

"Oh did I?"

Ren nodded.

"Why were you dreaming I saved you?" Horo asked.

"I...don't know."

Horo smiled. "Maybe you like me after all."

"...you keep thinking that," Ren said quietly.

"Oh I shall."

Ren sighed and Horo put his arm around Ren's shoulders. Ren froze. "Horo."

"You know why I'll keep thinking that?"

"No."

"Because while I was kissing you under the mistletoe, you were kissing back."

Ren racked his brain looking for some sort of excuse but couldn't find one. He didn't say anything.

"And because I know you quiet well, I know you wouldn't do that unless you had a little bit of feelings for me," Horo said.

"I-I suppose..." Ren started but trailed off. He shook his head. The alcohol was messing with his brain that's it. That's what was happening. He opened his mouth to say so but Horo said, "And its not the alcohol." 

_ Shit. That bloody dream. It was going to come ture after all._ Ren shuddered and shivered.

"Cold?"

"A little."

Ren yawned.

"Tired?"

"Yes." _Only because of Horo's running around and the constant rabbit nightmares._

Horo pulled Ren closer and he suddenly felt warmer. "Horo, please don't." Horo sighed and pulled away. Ren whined at the loss of warmth but pulled away as well. "We should go now. I don't want to freeze."

Horo nodded and they stood up. But before Ren even walked a few paces, Horo pulled him into a hug. "Happy Christmas, Ren."

"Happy Christmas, Horo."

Because Horo was warm, Ren didn't want to pull away, again he bammed it on the alcohol. Horo had no objections and continued to hug him. The snow continued to fall as they stood there on the sidewalk wrapped in each others arms. Finally Ren's better judgement took hold and he pulled away.

"Lets go." he said and walked away. When they reached his house, Horo disappeared into the house and Ren stood out on the doorstep. Looking up at the sky, he concluded that Christmas was really the most wonderful time of the year.

**Ashuri: the end of chapter seven. Hurra. So anyway cause alcohol can make a person act completely different from normal, Ren is kinda acting nice. And maybe liking Horo a bit. Heh heh, anyway please read and review.**


	8. Psychotic, Solitary, Confinement

**Hao: Ashuri does not own shaman king. How long do I have to do this?**

**Ashuri: till the fanfic is finished. Alright because babysitting is boring, at least when the children are sleeping and there's nothing on Tele, chapter eight comes sooner then planned. **_**Big thankies to all reviews! I love ya'll! And the Chinese thing, I just picked random words. And about Ren giving in, it was the ALCOHOL! **_**Anyway here we go.**

Chapter Eight: Psychotic, solitary, confinement.

"Ren."

"..."

"Its time to get up, Ren."

"Go away!"

"But lunch is ready!"

"I said go away!"

"But Ren-"

_ SMACK!_ "I'm trying to sleep baka! Get lost!"

Horo tumbled backwards off Ren's bed and onto the floor. Maybe waking up the amber eyed, purple haired shaman was a bad idea, especially when all Ren had to say was _get out_ and Horo couldn't argue.

Ren sat up sending death glares in Horo's direction and rubbing his temples. "Can't you ever leave me in peace?!"

"Yeah, but-" Horo started, rubbing his face.

"But what?!"

"Its almost noon."

_ "What?!"_

"Its almost noon." Horo repeated and got off the floor ro turn the clock, which for some reason was facing the wall, so Ren could see its luminous numbers. 11:30 am. Ren gapped. _How did it get so late in the morning?_

One minute he had climbed into bed around midnight and now...a sharp pain ran through his temples and he clapped his hand to the side of his face. "Shit!"

"What?"

"My head bloody hurts!" said Ren.

Horo blinked. "Maybe you drank too much at Yoh's."

"What! No I...I did not! I drank a lot less then you!"

Horo nodded. "Hmm."

"Stupid alcohol," mumbled Ren.

"Don't blame the alcohol Ren. It didn't force you to drink it."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Right." He flopped down onto the bed. "Anyway, go away. I'm sleepy."

Horo climbed onto the bed. "But what about lunch?"

"Does it look like I want lunch?" Ren's stomach growled.

"Yeah," replied Horo smiling.

Ren sighed. "No."

"Why not?"

"I do not bow to orders from my stomach." His stomach growled louder.

"Come on Ren. It want's you to feed it!" said Horo laughing.

"It can suffer!"

"Why don't you eat and then go back to sleep?"

Ren whined. "No."

"Come on Ren, I know you want to," Horo said.

"Don't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Rabbit. Evil. Talk. Kill," Ren snarled.

Horo laughed and patted his hand. "Sorry. It's just funny."

"No it's not! It's annoying!" Ren said with a final glare and turned to look out the window. He heard Horo sigh and the patting of his hand stopped.

Horo was a little _too_ persistent. He was clearly trying to do to much, and the one at the top of the list was the one thing Ren _tried_ not to think about but ended up doing so when he had nightmares or at random times when he wasn't thinking of anything. His stomach growled interrupting his thoughts. He sighed, agitated. _Fine you win._

He turned to look at the door and was slightly surprised to see Horo still sitting there. "Um, Horo, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I was thinking of some way to get you to go and eat," he replied.

"Ahuh. I see," Ren sighed.

"Well this annoying thing," he pointed to his stomach. "Won the battle. Lets go get."

"Hurra!" Horo said and wrapped his hand around Ren's, who couldn't believe he hadn't noticed that Horo's hand had never left his, and pulled him from the bed, out of the room, down the stairs and into the kitchen, which smelt like Christmas dinner leftovers.

"Did you go and get from Yoh's or something?" Ren asked.

"Actually, since we left our stuff there, they brought it over along with leftovers."

Ren stared at him. "What's wrong with the food in the fridge?"

"But the dinner was _so_ good though!" said Horo. "Besides, after I leave, if the foods all there, you won't have to go shopping."

"You're leaving?" asked Ren.

Horo turned and look at him, still holding his hand. "Yeah. You said that after I got better I had to leave. So, because I'm such a burden, you'll be rid of me shortly."

"Oh. Right. Great. Wonderful."

"Ren."

"Hmm?"

"You're acting kinda odd."

Ren gritted his teeth together. Why every time he _tried_ to be nice, did everyone say he was acting odd?! It was really beginning to piss him off. He threw Horo's hand off to the side, grabbed his plate of food and went to eat in the living room.

"You said we're not supposed to eat in the living room!"

"Yeah well its my house and I do as I please!" said Ren sharply.

Eating his food he heard Horo sit down in the kitchen. _That's right. I don't need him making a mess in here. Even though he was the one who cleaned it._ He bit into a piece of turkey. The house was clean, the fridge was full, Horo was leaving. What could be better. He didn't know what he had been thinking, standing there holding Horo's hand, god knows why, thinking maybe Horo could stay longer and then _BOOM_ reality checked in.

The rabbit. It all came back to the rabbit. It was clouding his judgement and trying to force him to do something he didn't want to do by giving him nightmares. And Horo imitating the stupid thing was not helping.

But the real reality, as he was forcing himself to believe, was that he wanted Horo gone and he wanted to be left alone. Taking another bite a voice said, _but what about the other reality?_ The supposed futures based on his nightmares. The ones where Horo was still with him. He but his fork down. Was it really that bad? He shook his head. Yes, yes it was bad. He couldn't think of a reason why. It was...it was just bad. But...

_Ren heard Horo sigh and saw him look up at the ceiling. Horo smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Ren inquired. _

_ Horo pointed. "Mistletoe." _

_ Ren looked up and tired to edge away. _

_ "Come on Ren." _

_ "N-no!" _

_ Horo grabbed him around the middle. "It's Christmas though. And when your under the mistletoe you have to kiss the person." _

_ "N-no! You can't make me!" _

_ And they argued. This is what it sounded like from the sitting room._

_"Kiss me!" _

_ "You'll have to drug me first!" _

_ "I know you want me too!" _

_ "In your dreams!" _

_ "Maybe one day this dream will come true-" "_

_ Stop saying that!" _

_ "Ren!" _

_ "No!" _

_ "Just one little kiss!" _

_ "N-no!" _

_ "Please!" _

_ "No! Stop it!" _

_ "I know you love me Ren!" _

_ "Ahhhh! The rabbits controlling you!" _

_ "Hahaha that's right!" _

_ "Ahhh!" _

_ "Now kiss me!" _

_ "NOOO!" _

_ "..." _

_ "Don't pout!" _

_ "..." _

_ "Neh." _

_ "..." _

_ "Ah god dammit. Fine." _

_ "Really!?" _

_ "Then leave me alone." _

_ "No problem."_

_Horo leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ren's. Ren went into his ridged, I am not going to kiss you form. However, after a few seconds found himself kissing back. He tired to pull away, but his body wasn't cooperating. When Horo pulled away, the tingling sensation from the morning was on his lips again._

It had been different from other kisses. Many had been forceful and pressurized, manly because Ren was fighting him, but given consent, it was pleasant. But pleasant enough for him to kiss back? Truth be told he blamed it on the alcohol. Horo countered this by saying it wasn't the alcohol, but what else could it be? Certainly Ren didn't have feelings for Horo...did he?

He almost laughed. It was preposterous. Of course he didn't. Horo was just a friend, a good friend who happened to be a good kisser. _Stop it._ He thought. He didn't have feelings of that sort at all. It was just an empty emotion to him.

He looked at his plate. Most of the food was gone, but he didn't feel remotely hungry anymore. Ren got up and took the plate into the kitchen. Horo was picking at his food eating random pieces.

"Do you notice how we always have the same boring arguments?" he said after a minute.

"Yes. And?" replied Ren.

"Do you know why?"

"Obviously not. Cause if I did chances are we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Horo sighed and went to dump his and Ren's remaining food in a large container and placed it in the fridge.

"Because you get angry over trivial things."

Turning Ren could only stare. "Oh this my fault!"

"Partially."

"Oh ok then, who pray tell who is also at fault?" Ren leaned against the counter. "Or better yet, what other reason could there possibly be for other _trivial_ arguments."

Horo appeared to ponder this and Ren believed that he hadn't thought of an early plan of action. "Well I haven't quite figured that part out yet," Horo said.

"Then maybe you should have all the facts before you go about making unfounded accusations!" Ren said.

"But you do get angry over trivial things."

"Yeah well guess what, that's not about to change." He turned to leave the kitchen but Horo grabbed a hold of his arm and swung him into a hug. "Now what are you doing?"

"Well since I'm leaving, you won't see my pretty face anymore."

Ren snorted and looked up into Horo's dark eyes, alive again with warmth and laughter, yet lined still with sadness. His pointy blue hair spilled over his forehead, the usual band absent. Ren blinked repeatedly. _Damn. When did Horo become so good looking?! _

He mentally slapped himself as Horo continued speaking. "Therefor, I, would like a hug."

"Um." Ren tried, but was still staring at Horo, lost for words.

"Well?"

"..."

"Ren are you feeling alright?"

"..."

"Ren."

No matter what he just couldn't stop staring. It was like Horo had gone to bed ugly and woken up attractive looking.

"Hey, yeah I know I'm gorgeous and all, but you can't stare at me all day," Horo said smiling.

Ren shook his head trying to clear his mind. "Are you turning narcissistic on me?"

"No. Just trying to get you to pay attention."

"Oh. What was it that you wanted again?"

"A hug," Horo said.

"Oh."

Ren casually, slowly, gave Horo a hug. There was nothing like a hug between friends right? When the hug was over Horo released him. "Well, thanks for everything. Bye." He walked to the door and Ren turned around in circles and followed.

"Um bye?"

Horo waved and closed the door. Ren's hand was on the door handle, and he was about to tell Horo to come back when he realized Horo hadn't tried to pull anything one him after the hug. He just left. Not that Ren was complaining much mind you. But it was just odd. Maybe Horo had finally given up on trying to win Ren's affection. But knowing Horo, he had something up his sleeve.

He released the door handle and stood there. The house was quiet again. The quietness made him restless. He needed to do something, so he wandered around looking for anything that was out place and needed to be moved or something that needed to be cleaned. No such luck. The place was spotless. He wandered into his bedroom, which was free now that Horo was gone, and came face to face with the thing that haunted him in his sleep. The rabbit.

He froze and pointed. "What are you doing here rabbit!?" It just gazed back at him. It's tiny blueish eyes watching him. Ren gave it an evil look. Maybe he could annihilate the thing. Oh but wait, it belonged to Horo and Prika gave it to him...but he wasn't there.

The rabbit sat there as if to say, "You can't harm me, Ren. You love me."

"No," Ren whined and inched his way over to the closet, and closed the door, concealing himself inside.

He was going crazy. He had really lost his mind. All because of a stupid stuffed animal! How could the great Tao Ren sink so low?! It was saddening. How could he have this happen to himself?! How could he- the phone was ringing.

"God dammit bastard phone! I'm going to chuck you across the room!" he yelled and opened the closet doors, got tangled in his clothes, knocked the rabbit to the floor and answered the phone. "State your name and business."

_ "Oh, why so harsh Ototo?"_

"Nee-san?"

_ "Well yeah. Who else calls you Ototo, Ototo?" _

"No one Nee-san," Ren said trying to kick the rabbit but it didn't work very well as he almost pulled the phone cord out of the wall.

_"What's going on? Did you and Horo have another fight?" _

"No...well not exactly."

_ "What's that supposed to mean, not exactly?" _Jun questioned.

"He's gone."

_ "Yeah well you drove him away."_

"Shut up!" Ren said, though this was true. He did drive Horo away.

_ "Anything else?"_

"I'm going crazy!"

_ "Oh how so?"_ asked Jun.

"Its watching me. Right there on the floor," Ren said darkly eyeing the rabbit who stared innocently at the ceiling.

_"Um Ren, are you feeling ok?"_

"Its watching me," Ren repeated.

_ "Um who?"_

"The rabbit," he whispered. "The stupid white rabbit with blue eyes, who's voice sounds like Horo."

_ "Um Ren, rabbits don't speak human languages."_

"This one does. In my head. He tells me I love him, but I don't."

_ "..."_

"Its driving me crazy!"

_ "Ok, back to Horo leaving-"_

"I can't deal with this! He's gone and can't save me anymore and its just keeps following and watching me!" Ren shouted poking the rabbit with his kawn do.

_"Ren, you've lost it."_

"Tell me something I don't know!"

_ "You need to see a shrink."_

"No!" Ren said half sobbing half laughing psychotically. "I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!"

_"Um yeah you are,"_ Jun said. _"Your going to see one tomorrow."_

"No!"

And so the next day Jun took Ren too see the shrink. She peered at him through her glasses. He stare making him feel nervous and wanting to kill her at the same time, however, Jun hadn't let him bring his kawn do with him. The shrink, Ms. Oken, pushed her glasses up her nose and sat back in her chair. She then preformed a serious of tests recommended by Jun. The procedure went all morning. By noon Ren wanted to kill everyone in the damn building.

"Well is he crazy?" Jun asked.

"I prefer the term, mentally disturbed," said Ms. Oken.

"Oh Shit," Ren muttered.

"What are we going to do!? If Ren's mentally unstable we're all going to die!" Jun said losing her head.

"Now, now, its not that bad. _He _can be cured."

Jun stopped yelling DOOM, and looked at her. "Really?"

"Yes. All he needs to do is face the things that's causing him mental distress and except it," The shrink said.

"No!" Ren said in horror.

"There ya go Ren. You need to be with your _lover_ to get over this," Jun said smiling.

Ren gave her a look clearly saying that Horo wouldn't want to stay in the same room with him after learning that he was mentally unstable.

The shrink saw the look. "If your present lover doesn't stay with you, of course you'll find another girlfriend one day. Most women find manically depressed paranoid, psychopaths with suicidal and homicidal tendencies highly attractive."

"I am not paranoid and suicidal," Ren said.

"But clearly everything else," she said.

Ren gave her a half smile and stood up. "That's it I'm leaving."

"Your free to do so of course,"

When they had left it took Ren a while to shake Jun off, but he managed it and went home. When he got there, he chucked the rabbit into the hall way and climbed into his bed. It smelled good. It smelled like Horo. He tried to mentally slap himself but couldn't.

It wasn't fair. That damn rabbit drove him insane and now he had to have Horo in the house to make him sane. He whined no repeatedly and looked up at his calender. It was three days till New Years, and his birthday. He really didn't want to go out and find Horo, besides he didn't want to rely on someone else to help him deal with his problem. Besides it was only three days, and no matter what he told everyone on his birthday about being left alone, Horo would show up anyway. It was all good. He could survive till then.

Ren snuggled deeper into his blankets. It smelt really good and he felt sorry for throwing the rabbit into the hallway. The shrink had said he needed to _face_ it. He rolled out of bed and went to get it. Staring at it, he concluded that it was really ugly. Lifting it up to get a better look at it, though he still wanted to throw it across the room, he noticed it smelt good as well. Ren smiled. Horo had lied. He did sleep with the rabbit. It was kinda childish. But it was Horo. And he was cute enough to get away with it.

He amused himself for a little while picturing Horo, in pajama's holding the rabbit. Before trying to find something wrong with what he was thinking, which was all of it. He made to chuck it across the room but didn't. He placed in on the end of the bed and laid down. He deal with the dumb rabbit later. It wasn't worth his effort right now, but the thing would die eventually. And he also decided to deal with _Horo thinking_ later.

Maybe being a manically depressed paranoid psychopath with suicidal and homicidal tendencies wasn't that bad.

**Ashuri: another weird chapter. Ren's cracking more. And thinking of Horo more.**

**Thoughts? Leave a review.**

**Ideas? Have any? If their really awesome, maybe I'll use them! Leave a review.**


	9. Happy Birthday

**Hao: ASHURI. DOES. NOT. OWN. SHAMAN. KING.**

**Ashuri: (gazes at reviews) so many...thank you! You all rock I love ya'll! Such wonderful comments. Heh heh. And so the next chapter in my story of weirdness. After a long delay.**

Chapter nine: Happy Birthday.

How Ren managed to survive the next three days was beyond him. Every time he entered a room, the damn rabbit seemed to be there, waiting for him, even when he moved it, it always found it's way back. The endless tossing it onto the floor and into the wall, did no damage to it what so ever. And the fact that some how it always ended up next to Ren in bed, though he wanted to do something to it, like rip its head off, was driving him, if it was still possible at this point, even more crazy.

As the morning of his birthday approached, Ren had fallen asleep late, dreams plagued with nightmares, curled up in a ball, huddled under the blanket, clutching the rabbit, all things smelling like Horo, no matter how many times he washed them. He didn't want to get up that morning. Even though he was expecting Horo, and Horo needed to help him. Though Ren still felt like Horo wouldn't want to be around him after learning he was mentally unstable.

However, no one liked to let Ren sleep. Just as his nightmare slipped into pleasant dreams, the doorbell rang. Ren's head jerked up, and he cast a weary look around. "Huh?" He looked at his clock. It was just before noon. "Huh?" he repeated and the doorbell rang again. Ren struggled to free himself from his blankets, but ended up falling of the bed instead. Wrapped in the blankets he crawled over to the window and managed to push it open. Looking down he spotted Horo.

"Morning Ren!" Horo called waving. "Happy Birthday!"

"Morning." Ren yawned down.

Horo held up the gifts from him and the others, as they headed Ren's and Jun's, requests to stay away. "Well, may I come in?"

Ren nodded and disappeared from the window. The door being locked meant he had to go downstairs. Untwisting himself enough to walk, he left the room, with the blanket and stuffed rabbit.

Unlocking the door, Horo wandered in and placed the gifts down on the floor next to the door and straightened up, smiling at Ren. "Yoh, and them, asked me to bring them over. Don't know why. Seemed they were a little too scared to come over. Did you threaten them or something?"

Ren shook his head. "No."

"Oh." Horo noticed he was wrapped in the blanket. "Cold?"

"No," Ren said. "I just like it's smell."

"I see. Never would have thought you like the smell of laundry detergent," replied Horo.

Ren opened his mouth to say it smelled like Horo, but cut himself off it time. It may smell like Horo, but Horo didn't need to know that.

"Have you eaten yet?" asked Horo.

"No. I just got up. And I'm too tired to make anything."

"Do you want me to make something for you?"

"I suppose," replied Ren. He lead the way to the kitchen and Horo set about making rice and vegetables. Standing beside Horo at the stove, Ren was trying to make sure he didn't burn anything. Even though Horo could cook, he just didn't trust him enough to not burn his house down.

Horo smiled at him and noticed that in Ren's hands he held the white stuffed rabbit that he had _accidently_ left there. "Hey isn't that my rabbit?" Horo pointed out.

Ren clicked his tongue and looked down. He moved it off to the side. "No. You must be mistaken."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it's mine."

"No. Its mine."

"Ok."

Ren eyed Horo. He was trying to steal his rabbit. He paused. When did he start thinking of the rabbit as his?

"I think you should give it back. Prika might get mad," Horo said.

"No."

Horo reached for the rabbit. "Ren."

"No! My Horo smelling rabbit!" Ren shouted and pulled the rabbit away.

Horo stopped reaching for the rabbit and stared at him. Ren flushed. _Oh god. Did I just say that out loud?!_

"Did you just say what I thought you said?" asked Horo.

"No!" Ren said in total denial.

"Yes. Yes you did."

"No!"

"Come on Ren. Just face it already."

"Who do you think you are my shrink!?" Ren asked loudly.

"No I...you have a shrink?" Horo asked eyeing him.

"Unfortunately."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a manically depressed paranoid psychopath with suicidal and homicidal tendencies," replied Ren absent mindedly stroking the rabbit's head.

"Come again?" Horo said not understanding a word Ren just said. "I'm mentally unstable!"

"Oh. Weren't you always?"

"No."

"Oh. So that's why the others didn't want to come," Horo said finally catching on.

"Yeah," Ren said nodding.

"Ren, your stroking the rabbit." Ren looked down and ceased the stroking. "So, let me get this straight, you have a shrink and..." Horo started.

"She told me I had to face what's causing me mental distress and accept it," said Ren giving the rabbit a look.

"Makes sense to me. So your carrying it around because of that and it smells like me?"

Ren flushed again and nodded.

"Ok," Horo said and returned to cooking.

Ren blinked. "You're actually going to stay with me even though I'm mentally unstable?!"

"Sure. Unless you want me to leave?" Ren didn't answer and Horo did pursue the issue.

When lunch was ready, Ren found it hard to sit down, due to his bulky blanket. Horo suggest taking it off, to which Ren replied, "No my Horo smelling blanket!", and lunch was silent, with Ren blushing furiously and eating clumsily owing to the blanket wrapped around his arms. After twenty seconds however he got annoyed and placed it on the floor. The rabbit remained on his lap with Horo continuously eyeing the thing.

When lunch was over, Horo tired to get the rabbit away from Ren still stating that Prika would get mad, to which Ren said that Horo wanted the rabbit to himself and didn't care if Prika got mad. The only thing Horo managed to do was pin Ren down on the floor, which ceased his movements and made it slightly easier to reach the rabbit. Getting Ren to let go of it was another matter. He had a tight grip and wouldn't let go.

"I thought you hated the thing, Ren!" Horo said, fingers inches from the rabbit.

"I do hate it!" Ren said, trying to shove the rabbit away from Horo.

"Then why are you acting like its your most treasured position? It's just a stuffed animal!"

Ren stopped and blinked. Horo was right it was just a stuffed animal. He released the rabbit and put his hands over his eyes and started to laugh. How stupid of him. Carrying it around like his life depended on it. It had drove him mad. He stopped laughing and removed his hands from his face. Horo was staring down at him, face smiling in amusement.

"Horo," he said gulping slightly, a tingling sensation in one of his lower organs.

"Yeah?"

"I..." His bladder was full. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Horo laughed slightly and got off him. "Ok."

Ren rolled over onto his stomach and got up. Abandoning the rabbit on the floor he went up stairs to the bathroom. Relieving himself, he found it kind of strange that he hadn't protested to Horo being on top of him. He shrugged it off. They had been play fighting so it didn't really matter.

Backdown stairs it the kitchen, Ren found that Horo had cleaned the dishes and moved his blanket into the living room. Had he really been in the bathroom that long. He looked around like something was missing. "Horo, where's the rabbit?"

"What rabbit?" Horo asked.

"The white rabbit, whose voice sounds like yours. The one your sister gave you. Any of this ringing a bell?"

Horo shook his head. "No."

Ren screwed up his eyebrows in confusion. Why was Horo acting like an idiot? Did he really think Ren was that stupid? "Horo, either you produce that rabbit right now or-"

Horo swung his arm around Ren's shoulders. "Come on lets go open your gifts," and he steered Ren into the living room.

"Horo!"

"Yes?"

"Do you really want to find out how I act as a mentally unstable person!?" Ren said, thinking about the last visit he sister had payed him. He had spent most of the visit threatening to kill her, chasing her around the house, tried to poison her drink, among other things.

"No not really. But just sit down," Horo said and pushed Ren down onto the couch and went to retrieve the gifts.

He got a number of things which included, weapon polish, new clothes and a book on calming oneself. That was from Jun. She obviously thought it would be helpful. Horo had gotten him a Chinese Dragon Incense burner. This by far was his favorite gift, but he didn't tell Horo that. He found a very nice place for it in a glass cabinet in the living room. With wrapping paper lining the living room floor, he got slightly upset, but being as he put it there, he couldn't blame anyone, which he normally would have done if it had been someone else. With the help of Horo they cleaned it up in no time.

Picking up his blanket he struggled to carry that and all the gifts at the same time up the stairs to his room. Horo taking pity on him helped him by carrying most of it. Reaching Ren's room, Ren said he could place the gifts in the closet, he totally forgot that it was over flowing, with the other gifts that Horo had given him, attempting to woo him. And so of course, because they were stacked funny, they all toppled down on top of Horo, spilling out of their boxes and making a mess.

"Horo! Are you ok?!" Ren asked freaking out.

"Yeah," he said and got up. Looking around he said, "Oh Ren, I'm sorry."

"Its ok. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I haven't opened that closet in three days."

"Is that why your wearing the laundry I left here?"

Ren looked down at the cloths he was wearing. They were indeed Horo's t-shirt and shorts. They were still at Ren's because, Horo not having a place of his own at the moment, wouldn't be able to keep track of his stuff, so if he need something all he had to do was go to Ren's and get it. Ren suspected he had done that purposely.

The reason Ren was wearing them was partially due to the closet, but he was more leaning toward the fact that it smelt good and or it was comfortable. "It smells nice," he said.

"Oh ok." Horo looked down at some of the gifts that had been ejected from their boxes. "Hey I remember that. You actually kept the stuff I gave you?"

Ren nodded blushing slightly.

"Why are they in the closet?"

"I didn't want to feel guilty!"

"Guilty?" asked Horo starting to pick the stuff up and putting it away.

"I was being so mean and making you clean and all that stuff and If I didn't look at the stuff I wouldn't have to buy you stuff and I wouldn't have to think of you and I wouldn't get rising emotions and I wouldn't fall in love!" By the tone Ren was using Horo concluded that he had been wanting to say this for a very long time.

Ren gave a big sigh and flopped down onto his bed. He felt slightly relieved after saying that. It had been bugging him the last day or so. He watched Horo for awhile, putting away the gifts that had fallen out of the closet and stacking them so that they wouldn't fall down. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to relax. A calming sensation had filled the room and he felt like he could drift off and fall asleep. But that wouldn't be nice to Horo, as he had come to visit.

His bed contracted and he opened his eyes. Horo's face was inches from his. Ren yelped, jumped away, and landed sprawled out on the floor. "D-don't do that!"

"Sorry," Horo said and went over to help him up. Ren flapped his hands in a gesture of no. Horo crouched down and smiled. "You've gotten lazy Ren."

Ren bowed his head in shame. "I know."

Horo left Ren's chin up and Ren stared into his eyes. "That's ok though." He leaned forward and kissed Ren pleasantly. Ren pulled away slightly but didn't do anything. It was part of the process if getting better. That's what he told himself.

When Horo pulled away Ren stared at him with a look of _that's it_? Horo was slightly puzzled by Ren's look, but didn't do anything.

"Horo," Ren said.

"Yeah?"

Ren grabbed a hold of Horo's shirt and pulled him forwards like he was going to shout at him, however, he forced his own lips against Horo's. Because Horo was shocked he ended up not kissing back, but it didn't matter cause the kiss didn't last that long.

"Ren, why..." Horo stared to say confused.

"I..." Ren started himself but was interrupted by the doorbell. He groaned hating doorbells. The doorbell rang again and Ren crawled over to the window and opened it letting the cold January air in. Jun was on the doorstep.

"Hi Ototo! Can I come in?"

Ren groaned again, hating Jun.

"I suppose." He saw Jun open the door and he closed the window.

"Why's she here?" Horo asked.

"Cause she keeps checking up on me to see if I've murdered someone," Ren said standing. Horo stood as well and they went downstairs to greet Jun.

"So have you murdered anyone Ren?" she asked.

"I'm going to murder you if you don't leave me alone," Ren muttered.

Jun spotted Horo. "Oh. Why didn't you tell me Horo was here?"

Ren's eye twitched. Jun was acting stupid like Horo had been earlier. She was well aware that Horo was going to come over and she and everyone else was supposed to stay away.

Jun smiled. "If I had know I wouldn't have come."

Ren snapped. "Stupid sibling of mine! You were well aware that you weren't supposed to come!" and he preceded to chase her around the house. "Come back here! I'll kill you!"

After about doing ten laps around Horo, Horo decided to spare Jun and wrapped his arms around Ren's waist and pulled him close to his torso. Ren thrashed about trying to reach Jun. "Let go! Murder. Death. Kill." Pulling a very convincing puppy dog face he managed to get Ren to look at him and he stopped thrashing to stare at him instead.

"Thanks Horo. You saved me," Jun said.

"No problem. Why does he want to kill you? More then normal I mean, besides the fact he's mentally unstable?" Horo asked.

"Oh, because I took him to the shrink."

Ren's eyes snapped to Jun and he glared.

"And after she told him he had to face his problem I said he needed to be with you to not be crazy."

Ren's eye twitched repeatedly and he broke free of Horo's grip and chased Jun around again. "You! You have no right to repeat that!"

A few more laps around Horo, and Horo feeling sorry for Jun, but not as sorry for himself if Ren got really mad at him for doing this, grabbed Ren's arm and swung him into a hug and kissed him. What happened he wasn't expecting at all. Ren didn't pull away at all, but the second Horo's lips hit his he started to kiss back. Figuring that Ren wouldn't hurt him he relaxed and deepened the kiss, wrapping his other arm around Ren's waist, and his other hand still firmly clamped Ren's arm to his side. Eventually they had to come up for air and Ren just stared at him. Still unsure of he was doing.

Jun was all happy. "Aw! My Ototo finally excepted his feelings!" The fact that Ren was tightly locked in Horo's grip stopped him from murdering Jun.

"Jun, I think you should leave, before Ren gets to angry to control," Horo said.

"Yes, yes your right." She smiled and went over to Ren and whispered. "Now that your together, its going to be hard to find out which one of you is the more submissive." She walked toward the door and Ren tired to reach her but Horo wouldn't let go. Jun waved and left smiling.

Breathing really hard, a vein going in his temple, the urge to murder grew bigger. "Ok now that she's gone-" Horo started but the doorbell rang again.

Ren groaned and looked at the clock. It was three. "Dammit," he muttered.

"What?"

"The stupid shrink schedule a home meeting today at three!" Ren thundered. The doorbell continued to ring.

"Well you don't want to miss your appointment," Horo said.

Ren gave Horo a very ugly look and pulled his arm out of his grip and stomped over to the door and yelled into the shrinks face, "Leave me alone!"

Ms. Oken pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Maybe you should look into taking anger management."

Ren's hands formed gestures of wanting to strangle someone but spotted Jun, smiling and laughing. He bent down grabbed a rock and chucked it at her. "Get lost!" it missed but she took the hint and left.

"Now, may I come in?" the shrink asked.

"Fine. The sooner its over the better." he said and let her in.

"Good. I do have other appointments and I do not wish to be late." She spotted Horo. "This is a private meeting." she said.

Ren looked at Horo and Horo said. "Oh ok. I'll go upstairs then." And he left.

Sitting down Ms. Oken said, "So, judging by your behavior, you haven't tried to face your mental distress have you?"

"What do you think I was doing before you got here?" Ren snarled.

She waved it aside and said. "Where's your rabbit friend?"

"It ran away."

Ms. Oken raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure your not hiding it on yourself?"

"No I had it this morning and now its missing!" Ren said still believing Horo had, had a hand in the rabbits disappearance.

"Right. So, look into taking anger management."

"I'm not taking anger management!" She ignored this.

"Since facing the mental distress seems to not be working, anger management would be a great help that way you could settle down and have a family, that will help cease the mental distress."

Ren stared at her. "Family?"

"Yes. It's a wonderful way to create bonds and make people happy. And people love being happy. But since your not it may take awhile," she said.

"I'm happy!"

"No your not. You like solitude and repeatedly drive people who could make you happy away." Ok so there was truth in her words. He wasn't exactly what you would call happy, and he did push people away. People like Horo.

The torture, which is what Ren called it, continued for an hour and when it was finished he was very happy to see her go. Trying to calm himself he went to look for Horo. He found him in Ren's bedroom staring out the window.

When he entered the room, Horo turned to look at smiling. "See it wasn't that bad. Your still alive." Of course only Horo could see the amusement in Ren's torture. "Find out anything new?" Horo asked.

"Apparently I need anger management, and I'm not happy," Ren said joining Horo by the window.

"Anyone could have told you that."

"Yeah I know."

They were silent for a while before Horo said, "Well, I think I should go now. See you later Ren."

He turned to leave but Ren grabbed on to his arm. Horo looked at him and Ren, who's face was red, was staring at the floor. "What?"

Ren didn't answer.

Horo pulled Ren into a hug.

"What's up?"

"Stay here with me. Please," he muttered.

"Alright." And so Horo stayed.

**Ashuri: chapter is too long. I just couldn't stop writing. And so it'll end there and the next chapter will pick up were I left off. Heh heh, maybe you'll like it. Sigh.**

**Please read and review.**

**The reason the chapter was long was because I had ideas and I wanted them out of my head before I forgot them and how I'm completely deprived.**

**Ideas I need ideas. You can all help if you wish.**


	10. Birthdays are more fun with two

**Hao: Ashuri does not own shaman king and la de da.**

**Ashuri: hey, gomennasai****.**** I didn't mean to take so long in updating, but my computer is a piece of crap. (Beats it with a hammer.) Anyway, thank you for all they reviews. I have 87 now. WOW! Yeah...uh I was asked twice in reviews to write with the speaking on separate lines the description...I understand that maybe it's a little confusing but, please understand that this is how I write and most novels are written in proper paragraph form and this is training for later life. I'm sorry but I will continue writing it this way. Arigato. **

**Thank you, ReiArubiru you gave me an idea, which will make its appearance in chap. 11.**

**On to fic!**

Chapter 10.  Birthdays are more fun with two.

They didn't do much for the rest of the day. Ren didn't seem to be in the mood to do anything but sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Even though it was disrespectful to Horo. Horo didn't really mind as he was spending time with Ren and Ren wanted him there. They stayed up in his room entangled in each others arms, Ren in a deep sleep, and Horo drifting in and out of it. There was a slight problem.

Every time Horo tried to move or get up, Ren would subconsciously push him back down and whine. Horo couldn't do anything and the problem was that he had to use the bathroom. Really bad. He was doing his best to hold it, but it proved no easy task. All he could hope for was that Ren would wake up soon and release him. Around 6:30 he did.

Yawning Ren woke up, unawares he was in Horo's lap. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Ren nodded. "Ahmm."

"Good. Now, uh, you know I have no problem with you laying on me and all, but could you get off. Now!" Horo asked as delicately as possible.

Ren complied and turned to look at him.

"Thank you!" Horo got off the bed and ran to the bathroom. Ren smiled ever so slightly. He stretched and noticed Horo's jacket on his dresser.

Strange. He thought. I don't remember that being their earlier. He stared at it and noticed that there was something underneath it. Curious he got up and went over to it. Lifting Horo's jacket up he found the missing rabbit. Ren turned to the bathroom door glaring slightly and picked the rabbit up. He wandered over to the window and stood in front of it. Stroking the rabbit he watched the cars go by on the street below. He didn't hear Horo return.

Horo came in silently and noticed his jacket had been moved and Ren was clearly doing something, not paying attention to him. He went over and stood right behind him. He noticed that Ren had found the rabbit and was stroking it again. He rolled his eyes and had a sudden idea. He wrapped his left arm around Ren's waist and held on to his hand. He then took hold of Ren's right hand and pulled it away from his body making him drop the rabbit.

Ren turned his face and looked at Horo and Horo captured his lips. It was nice to kiss Ren without getting beaten in the process. Ren did seem to be enjoying himself however Horo hopped he wasn't pushing his luck.

Ren didn't like to seem like he was the less dominant of the two, Jun's words had taken effect, so he deepened the kiss, trying to show that he was in charge. It didn't work very well as Horo was in control of his body movement and he couldn't really pull off any domineering moves. When they were finished, Horo smiled at him.

"Well that was interesting."

"Don't act like your in control Horo when your not," Ren said, attitude coming back.

"Yeah alright." Horo continued to smile.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You know you love me Ren!" Horo said in perfect imitation of the rabbit to Ren's ears.

Ren stepped backward. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Ahuh yes."

"No."

"Ahmm. You know its true."

"No it's not."

"Yeah it is."

"No."

"You could have fooled me considering you are kissing me back and all," Horo said.

Ren looked around searching for an answer. Finally he found one. "Kisses are not always symbols of love."

Horo smiled. "You'll try anything to continue to deny that you love me won't you?"

Ren turned to go downstairs. "Who's denying anything?"

Horo blinked. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing." Ren walked out of the room.

Horo followed. "I'm pretty sure you did."

"I didn't. You must be hearing things."

Ren wandered over the fridge and opened it. Horo stared at its emptiness. "Someone needs to go shopping."

"Yeah I know." Ren sighed and closed the fridge.

"You ate a lot of food in three days," Horo commented.

"I didn't eat it all," Ren said indignantly. "Jun kept coming over and eating. Plus that stupid shrink would eat sometimes too."

"Oh I see."

"Horo!" Ren whined. "I'm hungry!"

Horo laughed. "Well since you have nothing, how about we go out for dinner."

"I'm not permitted to leave my house."

"Why not?"

"Jun's afraid I'll kill someone," Ren explained.

"Well then we just don't bring your kawn do," Horo said and went to retrieve their jackets. Well Ren waited he wondered what kind of food he was in a mood for and whether or not Horo would eat it. But then again that was a dumb question. Horo would eat anything.

When Horo came back with the jackets, they bundled up and left. They didn't take the car, as Horo said that Ren could possibly kill people in his car. They walked for awhile and decided to go to a random restaurant. Or rather a restaurant/bar. They hung out in the bar for a while, where random girls kept coming up to Horo and asking him out and stuff. Ren, as much as he tried to hide it, was finding it very hard to not kiss Horo right then and there and wipe those giddy smiles off those stupid faces.

Finally he lost his temper and insulted one of them. When Horo gave him a look he tried to apologize. "I'm sorry, if I said anything to offend you, it was purely intentional." It didn't work very well, and the girls ignored him and continued to act all giddy over Horo. Ren seriously wished he had his kawn do. This was not fair. This was making him think of his emotions and...love. And Horo, the idiot, seemed to be enjoying all this attention. Ren glared at him resisting the urge to smack him and went to hide in the bathroom.

Horo eventually came to find him.

Ren was hiding in one of the stalls, wanting to find a knife and murder someone, when Horo pushed the stall door open. "Hey Ren." Horo got a glare for an answer. Horo crouched down. "Your not mad are you?"

Ren gave him a look. "That is a stupid question."

"True, but I thought I'd ask anyway."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Horo you baka, we're here together! Your not supposed to be flirting with girls!"

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

Ren blushed. "Baka!"

Horo smiled. "I wasn't flirting. Actually I didn't like them acting all giddy."

"You better not be lying," Ren said.

"Now Ren, would I ever lie to you?"

Ren eyed him suspiciously. "No I suppose not."

"Alright then. Lets go eat."

Horo took a hold of Ren's arm and pulled him up and out of the bathroom. He lead him over to a table were they sat down and flipped through the menus. The waiter came by, eyeing them strangely, he took their orders and left.

"Everyone's looking at us strangely," Ren commented quietly.

"Haven't noticed," Horo said playing with the ice cubes in his drink.

"Then maybe you should pay attention. And stop acting like a child!" Ren hissed. Horo desisted playing with his ice. While waiting for their food, Horo took stabs at conversations.

"So..."

"So what?"

"Never mind," Horo said.

Ren shook his head smiling. A few minutes went by and some random person came up to them and started talking to them. Mid way through they asked if they minded them talking to which Ren replied, "I don't mind you talking so much as long as you don't mind me not listening." The person took the hint and left.

"Was that necessary?" Horo asked.

"Oh I think so."

When their dinner finally came, they didn't talk at all and just ate their food. It was very awkward between them in public. The dinner went by very slowly. When they were done they hung out in the bar again, Horo had to plead with him to do so. So they wandered around with Horo talking to people, Ren tagging along, and avoiding the giddy females. Shortly Ren got bored and wanted to go home, Horo couldn't do anything but comply.

On the way home Horo asked, "Hey Ren, do you ever think you'll go into a gay bar?"

Ren who wasn't paying attention said, "Uh? What now?"

Horo repeated his question and Ren remembered the dream with the doors and rabbit.

_"Please, enlighten me. I agreed to go out with you , and you decided that the best place for us to go, would be to a gay bar?" Ren asked trying to sound cool and calm, but the anger was showing in the way he was gripping the glass. _

_ "Yep," Horo said happily. _

_ "You dense irritating miniature beast of burden," Ren whispered to himself. _

_ "What was that?" _

_ "Nothing." He sighed. Maybe the evening go by fast. _

_ Some dude walked up to him. "Oi darling, do you really want to enjoy yourself with me?" he asked. _

_ Ren gave him a smile. "Sorry, I couldn't possibly entertain the thought of spending time with someone who splits infinitives." The dude obviously hadn't understood a word he said, but left regardless. Horo's eye was twitching. Ren was enjoying this. _

_ "Horo," he said. "He was hitting on me. I think you should hurt him." _

_ Horo didn't need telling twice. He got up and picked a fight with him._ _As the glasses got thrown, Ren concluded that maybe the evening wasn't a total loss._

"No," Ren said.

"Why?"

"...just no."

"Ok." A few seconds later. "You afraid someone else is going to hit on you?"

Ren stopped walking. "Horo if I could barley deal with you hitting on me how do you think I'll react to someone else!?"

"Good point." Another few seconds later. "Do you think you'll ever get married?"

Horo asked.

"To who?"

"Me."

Ren tried to laugh but he didn't find it even remotely funny. In fact he blushed. "Why? Is it necessary?

"Dunno."

"Its evil," Ren said.

"Ah but marriage, if one will face the truth, is an evil, but a necessary evil," Horo said.

"If you say so."

When they got home Ren threw the leftovers that they had brought from the restaurant into the fridge and turned to see Horo still standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Oh well, I was just thinking I should be going. It's late." He turned to leave.

"No!" Ren said in a strangely high pitched voice. Horo looked at him and Ren turned red again.

"What's with all the blushing?"

"Nothing."

"Ren's trying to hide his feelings but its not working," Horo said.

Ren covered his eyes with his hands and tried to stop blushing. "No," he said.

"Well anyway, Bye."

"No!" Ren said again and went to the door.

"What?" Horo said.

"Your not allowed to leave," Ren said looking at the floor again.

"Why not?"

"Cause...cause uh I..." Ren took a deep breath. "I want you...to stay."

"Really?!" Horo asked.

Ren nodded.

"Hurra!" Horo stepped inside and closed the door before Ren could go back on what he said. When he looked back at Ren, Ren opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the phone.

"Annoying bastard phone!" Ren yelled and jumped on to his sofa and almost ripped the phone cord. "Hello!"

_ "Hi Ototo!"_

It was Jun. "Annoying sibling! What do you want! Haven't you done enough damage today?!"

_ "Apparently not. Just checking up on you and to see if you've said...you know... the words."_

"Do you really think I would say that!?" Ren thundered knowing to well that Horo was in the same room.

_ "Eventually you would,"_ Jun said.

"Well no! I haven't said it!"

_"Well you better hurry up and say it before someone else comes along and snatches him from you."_

"No!"

_ "Well get a move on."_

"Then get lost and leave me alone!"

_ "Fine. Calm down. Don't kill anyone. Bye."_

"Bye!" He slammed the phone down on the hook and glared at it. However short the call was it really put him in a bad mood.

"Jun's getting to nosy." Horo said. Ren full heartedly agreed.

He then got up and tripped over the phone cord cause he wasn't paying attention. He accidently hit the radio on button and a random song started playing.

_ I've tripped to the other side I've fell into it of at first sight Don't know if you can read my mind But I think your fine, oh I think your mine I don't mean to be so shy But I don't know what to do this time It could be lust it could be love I should walk away but I think I'll stay Might not be the one for me But I'm thinkin' about you constantly Might be right You might be wrong You're my temptation, you're my perfection I met your drummer just the other day but there's a good chance you might be gay should have known this all along lets try it anyway I won't walk away._

Ren glared at the radio as Horo helped him up. Why was it that every song he heard recently reminded him of himself and Horo. He snarled slightly and shut it off.

"That songs was interesting," Horo said.

"I suppose," Ren said and they went upstairs.

"So uh do I have to sleep in the guest room?"

Ren blinked. "Uh..." He looked into his room to find the rabbit staring at him from the floor. He backed away from the door. "No you stay in my room."

"Ren are you still scared of the rabbit?"

"It's staring at me." Horo sighed and went to pick the rabbit up. He put it on Ren's dresser and placed their jackets on it. "There is that better?"

Ren nodded.

"Your not really going to let me stay here by myself are you?" Horo said, slightly seductive. Ren made some weird laughing noise.

"What do you suggest then?"

Horo smiled. "We stay in here together."

"On one condition," Ren said.

"What's that?" Horo asked walking over to him.

"You don't take advantage of me and you don't do anything."

"Are those the only conditions?"

Ren nodded.

"I can kiss you though right?" asked Horo pull Ren up against him.

"Yeah I think that's fine."

"Excellent." Horo leaned forward and started to kiss him passionately.

**Ashuri: eh I did it again. No sex for Horo... (laughs) anyway...Ren's got jealous. Heh heh.**

**Song above: **_**House of Trepidation, **_**by**_** Jakalope.**_

**Other songs from chapter five: **_**Farther Away,**_** by**_** Evanescence.**_** And **_**I hate everything about you,**_** by **_**Three days Grace.**_

**Anyway please R&R**


	11. Valen lovers day thing

**Ashuri: I'm sorry. I took too long in doing a new chapter. I was so busy. And kind of idea deprived. OMG! 101 reviews! This has gone on further then I thought it would. Whoa. And so now here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

**Hao: she does not own shaman king.**

Chapter eleven: Valen lovers day thing.

After about a month, thing's started to look up for Ren. He was seeing the shrink less and less and having fewer nightmares, he wasn't having as many desires to kill people, through there was still a lengthy list of people he would get eventually, Jun, the rabbit and so fourth. However even all these accomplishments couldn't mask the growing anxiety of February the fourteenth.

He had told Jun, which he realized after he shouldn't have, that he didn't want gifts given to him, and that he didn't want to have to buy gifts for anyone either. Jun replied, "But valentines day is for couples and your supposed to give gifts."

"I'm trying to get out of it," Ren had said.

"But I thought you had come to term with your feelings?"

"That's not it!"

Supposedly you could say he came to term with his feelings, but he defiantly would have found it embarrassing to say the least, if Horo gave anything, on _Valen lovers day thing_, as he called it now, considering he still hadn't forgotten about the first rabbit dream and the supposed futures. He didn't want any of it to come true, so on February the fourteenth, Ren awoke way before Horo, precisely at dawn, and tried to quietly hunt down any trace of a gift. He searched the whole house and didn't find anything, so he returned to bed, feeling slightly better and a little bit foolish.

The next time he woke up, it was around ten, he could smell breakfast, which meant that Horo was up. He rolled off the bed, literally, and went down to see him. He was making pancakes, in the shapes of hearts no less.

"Morning," Ren said.

"Morning," Horo said and bounded over to him. He was so bouncy this morning. His arms went around Ren and it seemed more like he was choking him then hugging him.

"Horo!"

"Yeah?"

"Air!"

"Oops. Sorry!" He released Ren and he gasped for air. "Happy valentines day Ren!" Horo then said happily.

"Happy valentines day," Ren said with a slight smile. They stood there. _What? Is he waiting for a hug or something. _Ren thought. _ O-Kay this is awkward._ He sighed. "Horo...the pancakes!" Horo spun around freaking out. He managed to save his Valen lovers day pancakes and they didn't taste that bad.

Afterwards, Ren found out that Horo _did_ have a gift for him, and Horo explained that Jun had told him that he didn't want any gifts so Horo hid it in a place that Ren couldn't even find them. He hid them in a cereal box. Amazed with Horo's sudden streak of brilliance, Ren was stunned. He just sat there for a while staring at the gift of delicious looking chocolates before speaking.

"What's this?" Ren asked, knowing only too well that he was playing right into the supposed futures hands.

"Chocolate," Horo said.

"I meant like what's it for?" he replied wondering why he was going along with this, even though he spent a week trying to stop it from happening. Maybe he did secretly want a gift, and it was so secret that he didn't even know he wanted it.

"Valentines day," Horo said going slightly red.

"But I thought that on Valentines day, women give chocolates to men, so that they would see them as potential girlfriends. And a month later men would give gifts back to women?" Ren said lifting up the box and looking at it and then at Horo who blinked and turned redder. "Thanks Horo," Ren said opening the box.

At that point Ren didn't know whether he wanted to eat them or throw them at Horo. He pondered it for a minute before deciding to eat them. And he was glad he did. They were really good. When he started to eat them he saw Horo relax as though he was afraid Ren _would_ throw them at him.

Ren smiled slightly and picked up a chocolate and held it in front of Horo's mouth. "Eat," he instructed. Horo opened his mouth and ate the chocolate right out of his hand and kissing Ren's finger tips afterwards. A smile still playing at his face, Ren remember a time when he would have killed Horo for doing that. But not now, as long as Horo didn't get carried away.

They didn't do much for most of the morning, except sit around and eat chocolate and discussing little things, like would Ren allow Horo to buy him another gift and so fourth. Around noon, they went to Yoh's cause Ryu and Chocolove were putting on a valentines day play. It was strangely disturbing and Ren probably would have had Horo do all the dastardly things in his brain to him rather then see the play again, and that's saying something.

They stayed there after the play for awhile, watching Anna try to murder them and then Ren

took over and almost succeeded but Horo intervened and told him he should stop or he would have to go back to the shrink- "No!"- and Yoh locked Ryu and Chocolove in one the rooms for two hours. Around dinner time when they couldn't take anymore of the play reciting, which Ryu and Chocolove were doing after they were released, they excused themselves and went out to a restaurant for dinner, which was so full of couples that Ren almost turned around and walked right back outside.

Horo somehow managed to persuade him to stay. They didn't get stared at as much as Ren thought they would, however, much to Ren's displeasure, they ran into his shrink. Ren had tried to hide behind Horo to avoid being seen, however, she was always able to find him. Thankfully they were outside of the restaurant and he was saved some embarrassment.

"Well, I didn't know you were gay Ren?"

Ren mumbled something along the lines of, "I'm not," and "Its none of your business."

"What was that?" Ms. Oken asked.

Ren shook his head violently glaring at her. Horo made the point of staying between Ren and her just incase Ren decided to kill her.

"You know Ren, there was something I didn't get around to saying then last time we met," she said.

"Yeah what's that?" said Ren seething.

"You are very self-conceited are you not?"

"I am not self-conceited!" Ren said indigently.

"Actually, you are," Horo muttered and Ren glared at him instead.

"Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction. Remember that," Ms. Oken said turning away and leaving.

"I am not self conceited!" he yelled after her. When she was gone Ren turned to Horo. "Thanks Horo. That was wonderfully helpful." He turned and started walking toward his home.

"Oh come on, Ren. I was just stating the truth," Horo said running after him.

"The truth! Do you think I need to or want to hear the truth! I've been trying to fight the truth for three months! And do you think it's helped? Not in the least! The truth is good for nothing! All its does is spawn more lies and-"

Ren's ranting was cut off because Horo pulled him into his arms and kissed him. When they were done Ren said. "I guess that means I should stop huh?"

"Yeah it does."

"Ok." replied Ren and he kissed Horo again. And when they were done that, Horo dragged Ren to a movie rental store to rent some movies. Browsing the sections, Ren couldn't decide on what to get, so in the end he ended up siding with whatever Horo wanted. Which was, some random horror flick, Star Wars, and Phantom of the Opera.

When they got home Ren made popcorn and they sat down to watch their movies. Star Wars wasn't bad, however when they got to the horror flick, Horo got really freaked out at an intense part and started to grip Ren's arm to the point where it went numb. Besides that, he found it kinda cute that Horo was scared, he wrapped his arms around him and said he would protect him from the nasty movie, and maybe it was a good thing he did that as Horo didn't seem quite so scared after wards.

Why Horo rented Phantom of the Opera was beyond him. It was a love story, full of obsession and stuff like that. Ren didn't like love stories, due to the fact that he was still trying to get out of the love story he was already in. The movie wasn't bad, but Horo kinda ruined it by singing one of the songs in his ear, after the song was over.

_"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime, say the word and I will follow you, share each day with me, each night, each morning, anywhere you go let me go too, that's all I ask of you."_

"Horo you're ruining the movie."

"Sorry."

When the movie was over, he continued to sing the song, or rather parts of it to the point where Ren told him to shut up or Horo would end up sleeping on the couch or in the spare bedroom. Horo whined _no_, and stopped. When Ren went to wash the dishes from breakfast and the popcorn bowl, Horo wandered around, this time humming the song.

Ren sighed annoyed and tried to ignore him for the time being. It didn't work very well, as soon Horo was beside him singing it again. Before he could say anything, Horo ended up turning him around and pinning him against the counter. He then started kissing him gently and Ren was awfully tempted to put his cold hands on Horo's back, but decided against it. Later, when the mini kissing frenzy was over, Horo just looked at Ren for a while, before saying. "I love you Ren."

"I-I," Ren tried. "I know."

He looked down and turned away. "Why can't you say it Ren?" Horo asked.

"I-I don't know. I just can't," Ren returned to washing dishes.

"Do you have feelings for me? Or has this all been an act this past month?" he asked placing his hands on Ren's hips.

"I do feel for you Horo. I just can't say those words," replied Ren. "Its not a natural thing...too me."

"I know. I just wish you could. Because its making me doubt your _feelings_." Horo pulled away from him.

Ren didn't like how he emphasized feelings. "Okay. Now your making me sound like a bad person just cause I can't say it," he said turning to see Horo stand near the entrance to the kitchen.

"No I'm not," Horo said defensively. "I just said its making me doubt your feelings, cause you can't express them." He paused and added in undertone. "Or lack there of."

Ren didn't like the way this conversation was heading. "Your just being stupid then," he said not really meaning too.

Horo rolled his eyes. "Oh yes. I'm always being stupid. And now your going to say that every argument we've had its my fault."

"No I'm not you," he said, recalling that in a early conversation, Horo blamed Ren for their arguments.

Horo glared at him. "Whatever. I give up. There's no point in arguing with you anymore."

"Yes cause your eventually going to lose."

Horo rolled his eyes again and started to walk toward the front door.

Ren's mouth went dry. Great now Horo was going to leave. No his sanity! He abandoned his dishes and followed. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I'm appreciated and not called _stupid_ 24/7."

"You're getting too worked up about all this!" Ren said strangely high pitched, which he was now prone to doing along with whining when nothing went his way.

"Yeah you say that now, but then later it'll be _Horo your stupid. You get worked up over stupid things,_" he said trying to imitate Ren.

Ren stopped walking Horo opened the door. "Fine you-you just go away. See if I care."

Horo turned to him. "You couldn't last five days without me. You _need_ me. Remember." And with that he turned around again and left, heading, Ren suspected, to Yoh's.

Ren slammed the door shut, fighting the impulse to go get him. This sucked. He hadn't walked five paces toward the kitchen before realizing he was stuck in the house with the rabbit. "Horo..." he said also realizing that what Horo had just said, was quite true.

Be that as it may, Ren was too annoyed and too upset to really do much about it. One thing for sure was that he was going to avoid that rabbit at all costs, and try to prove to Horo, Jun, and the stupid shrink, that he didn't need to be with Horo to be sane. It didn't work very well. By the next morning Ren was in a state of shock. Or more so a certain case of growing fear.

He managed to survive most of the morning alone, that was until shortly after he decided to eat something, and as soon as he sat down on the couch, did the insanity kick in. The shock, or growing fear, was his mind figuring out the complicated equation of how he stood with Horo at the moment in time, and the fact that he highly believed that Horo wasn't going to come back. Ren rocked back and fourth, his arms tightly clamped around his legs, amber eyes full of dread, trying to remain calm and fighting the impulse to go out and bring Horo back.

Honestly, why did Horo have to make such a big deal out of it. Just because he didn't say it now, didn't mean he wouldn't eventually say it.

After a few more hours the rocking wasn't helping much, so Ren subconsciously started singing to himself cause he couldn't think of anything else to do.

_"Down once more to the dungeons of my black despair, down we plunge to the prison of my mind, down that path into darkness deep as hell."_

And he just repeated it over and over and over again. The hours continued to fly by and they became unbearable to the point where he wouldn't answer the phone, in fact he pulled the cord out of the wall, and he wanted to break something, so he swung his arm around and knocked over the glass side table lamp, which fell to the floor and shattered, yelling "Burn in hell Horo!"

Ren didn't regret saying that at all, he didn't even regret breaking the lamp he had gotten for his birthday, and it was a really nice lamp too, all he cared about was now he had a mess to clean up. So he got down on his hands and knees, and began to pick up the glass with his hands. He got to the point where he cut his hands several times before he went to get a vacuum.

Still bleeding, which he didn't notice, Ren sat down on the couch again, rubbing his shoulders, trying to reassure himself that everything was going to be ok. Then he clasped his hands firmly together and placed his head on his arms, and eventually dozed off. The sound of the doorbell awoke later on. He groaned. Who was coming over at this time. It was 11:00pm. Whoever it was, was repeatedly pushing the doorbell.

"Alright, alright. I'm up." Ren climbed off the couch and answered the door. It was Horo. "Horo..."

"I've just come to see if your alive as Jun was freaking out because you wouldn't answer the phone," Horo said coldly.

Ren stared at him. He didn't know whether or not he wanted to hit him or hug him. He settled on both.

He moved closer to Horo and then pounded on his chest with the sides of his fists saying, "Horo you idiot. How dare you leave me." He then desisted and placed his head on Horo's shoulder occasionally hitting him on the other shoulder. He felt incredibly childish and foolish, not to mention stupid.

"Ren..."

"I know I'm a self-conceited, inconsiderate jerk and I am so sorry," Ren mumbled closing his eyes. He half expected Horo to get made at him again.

"I forgive you Ren. But that doesn't stop me from being quite mad at you," Horo said and Ren nodded. Horo then placed his hands on Ren's shoulders in a slightly calming way. They stayed there for a little bit, not saying much, and shortly Ren stared to shiver. The February wind was cold and it struck his bare arm's and legs, send cold jolts throughout his entire body, besides all he was dressed in was a pair of Horo's shorts and a t-shirt, and Horo wasn't providing warmth at the moment. Eventually Horo backed Ren up into the house and closed the door.

He placed his jacket on the couch and wandered over to the phone where he plunged it back into the wall. Horo then noticed that the lamp was missing. "Ren, what happed to the lamp?"

"I um broke it," Ren mumbled.

"Why?" Horo asked turning to him and Ren shrugged. "Ren...your hands!"

Ren looked down and spotted his blood stained palms, which he hadn't noticed hours ago. "Oh, well that's what I get for picking it up with my hands."

"You picked it up with your hands, Ren." Horo said walking over to him and looking at his hands.

"But then I used a vacuum," Ren said.

"You are completely helpless." Horo sighed, dragging Ren upstairs to the bathroom. There he washed and bandaged Ren's hands. "There, now don't go picking up anymore glass with your hands. Who knows what you may cut next time," said Horo sternly.

"Oh like what?" asked Ren fiddling with the bandages.

"Like oh lets see, your veins."

"Oh, right." Silence fell and then Ren clung to the front of Horo's shirt. He was actually very afraid that Horo would leave him again. "I am so sorry," he mumbled again.

He could tell that, as Horo stated downstairs, that being angry, he was reluctant to hold Ren, even though Ren practically threw himself at Horo since the moment he rang the door bell and was trying to stop him from going anywhere. But he did place his hands on Ren's upper back in a small comforting way.

After a while Horo pulled Ren's hands off his shirt and held them in front of him. "I'm going back to Yoh's now." He released Ren's hands and left the room. Ren spun in circles and followed.

"But why?"

"Because," Horo said pulling on his jacket and opening the door.

"Why?" Ren asked again.

"Because I want too," Horo said sighing.

"But Horo I don't want you to go," Ren said latching on to him.

Horo turned and placed his hand on Ren's. "Ren."

"Your supposed to love me. People help those they love," Ren muttered.

"I do love you. But sometimes-" Horo started. "-sometimes I think you just want me around so you can get better."

Ren mumbled something along the lines of _that's not it_ into Horo's shoulder.

"And I know things have been getting better. But this," Horo said patting Ren's hand and trying to remove it from his arm. "This was one time to many." Horo sighed again when Ren wouldn't release him. "Being mentally unstable or not, doesn't give you the right to be even more of a jerk then you already are."

"Please Horo I don't want you to go," Ren whined. "Please don't go," he then begged.

"Let me put it this way." Horo pried Ren's fingers off from around his arm. "How many times do you expect me to come back to you, after the way you treat me, just because you beg?" Gazing into Ren's slightly stunned face Horo shook his head and left.

Ren stared at his retreating back then walked to the door frame and looked out. He called his name, "Horo!"

But he didn't turn or say anything. He just kept on walking. Ren whined and Horo sped up knowing far too well that he would give into the whine after a couple minutes, and disappeared around the corner.

Ren then ducked inside and slammed the door shut. He leaned against the door feeling, angry, childish and stupid still. "Horo you-you-" he couldn't think of anything to insult him with. Besides it was his fault that Horo left in the first place. His fault that Horo didn't want to be around him anymore, him and his stupid mentally unstableness. And him ruing Horo's valentines day, after it had started out so good.

He slid down the door and placed his head on his arms. He knew, though he didn't want to admit it, that this time, Horo wasn't coming back.

**Ashuri: ooh, bet you didn't expect that to happen, well neither did I but it came to me after I got ideas from two people. Thank you so much. It helped. Really. But now I have a question:**

**What dastardly evil thing do you want to see happen to them?**

**Yeah I want something bad to happen but not sure what so what would you like to see? You can leave a review with your answer, or email me, or those select few (3) who talk to me on msn, if you see me you can tell me then too. Please RxR will you at it though.**

**Songs from above: **_**Phantom of the Opera.**_


	12. Deficient Instability Mental Infraction

**Ashuri: thanks to all who gave ideas for the question:**

**what dastardly evil thing do you want to see happen to them?**

**In this chapter there will be two of them, which were my faves right of the hop, and two more might be in the next chapter. The **_**phantom of the opera**_** songs were from the recent movie. Appearing in this chapter are a few characters, tampoda and Holly, who belong to their respected owners, my friends, and of whom I have permission to use, as they paretically belong to me, and the others, Sora, Ashley, Damon, etc, belong to me. These people are in here to just help this part of the story move along cause you can't have to place Ren is going without these people or it would be incomplete. And of course all shaman king characters belong to Hiroyuki takei.**

**Oh yeah to one of the reviewers: the words **_**I love you**_** don't exist in Ren's vocabulary...but its getting there. Thanks for your review.**

**Hao: she doesn't own shaman king.**

Chapter twelve: Deficient Instability Mental Infraction.

Over the course of one month, Ren basically decided life was not worth it. Therefor, besides going to the bathroom, he did nothing. Nothing, but lay on the couch, moping. Well he did listen to the radio a couple of times but the songs were just sappy and made him more upset then he already was. Songs like:

_I only think of you And it's breaking my heart I'm trying to keep it together But I'm falling apart I'm feeling all out of my element I'm throwing things Crying Trying to figure out Where the hell I went wrong The pain reflected in this song Ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside I need you Need you back in my life baby_

and

_Love me love me say that you love me fool me fool me go on and fool me love me love me pretend that you love me leave me leave me just say that you need me Love me love me say that you love me leave me leave me just say that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you..._

He still had a strong urge to write to the station and force them to play better songs, but he didn't know if he had paper, and he didn't want to waist the effort if he didn't.

He had stopped eating recently, because his food had gone bad, and he didn't want to go to the store. This was a down right low for him, and how he got there he was still trying to figure out. One day, still not doing anything, though he had gotten up to turn off the radio, he laid there on the couch, the fabric of the sofa imprinting into his skin, gazing eyes unfocused at a large spec of dirt on the ceiling, Jun decided to pay a visit.

"Ren, what's happened to you?"

Ren slowly turned his head to look at her. "What does it look like?" He asked horsily.

"Like you've died."

"Look it can think. Its not hopeless after all."

"Ren..."

"I'm trying to commit suicide," he said.

"How? By starving and dehydrating yourself?!" Jun asked.

"Precisely."

"But wouldn't it be easier to use your kawn do?" She said quickly as though hoping to not give him ideas.

"But that involves getting up. And its too quick. I want to prolong my suffering."

"Why?"

"Because I want to," Ren said loudly.

Jun held her hands up in defense. "Alright. Alright."

Ren tried to focus on her face, but he was much too weak. "Say, did you give him my White's Day gift?"

"Yes, but I don't think that's going to bring him back."

"I know that you idiot! I didn't ask for your opinion!" thundered Ren, managing to sit up and glaring at her.

She flinched. "Ren...I think you need help."

"Oh yeah and who's going to help me?! You? That stupid shrink who gives stupid advice that does no one any good?! Sorry but no one can help me!" Ren attempted to lay down again but Jun's next words made him freeze. "You need to go to a mental asylum."

"What?!" Ren turned back to her with a very strained look on his face.

"You need to go to a mental asylum," she whispered. "They can help you."

"I DON'T NEED A MENTAL ASYLUM!" Ren yelled and chucked a lamp at her, but because his strength had more then diminished, he missed by several feet and shortly found himself locked in the back seat of his car.

"Dammit Jun! Let me out!" Ren yelled.

"No. You're a danger to everyone and yourself. You're not safe," she said slowly, driving to the outskirts of town.

"Then send me to jail! Not a mental place!"

"But you have a chance to be saved. And in jail someone might kill you!"

"Someone might kill me in a mental place. Their unstable freaks!" Ren said.

"Well then you'll fit right in."

"JUN!"

Somehow they managed to get there without Jun getting into an accident because Ren was screaming at her, and they managed to get all the way to the registration office, though Ren was pretty weak so it didn't take much of an effort on Jun's part. In the office they met a young woman with short reddish hair and blue eyes, the name on the desk said Tampoda Leiper. "Good morning," she said. "Welcome to D.I.M.I."

She didn't explain what D.I.M.I. meant but Ren figured she didn't know and it was something along the lines of Deficient Instability Mental Infraction.

"How can I help you?"

"Um yes, my brother needs to be booked into here and yeah," Jun finished lamely, but Ren wasn't paying attention as he was reading the rules that were on the desk.

D.I.M.I. RULES AND REGULATIONS.

_Please do not attack the doctors as they are here to help you._

_ Bouncing of the walls is optional._

_ Medication will be given when seen fit._

_Visitors are allowed from 6:00am to 5:00pm. Please do not ask for longer visits. They will not be given._

_ No flirting with the security guards, as they are here for our protection, not yours._

_Accept your food, as it comes out of our pay to feed you. If you do not eat you will not be allowed in to the padded wall room and visits will be disallowed._

_All pointy objects are banned from your rooms. However if you require a point object, a doctor will be present at the time of usage._

_Calming solvent is always on hand, and injected by the head doctor. Please feel free to ask for it._

_ PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY._

How dull. What kind of mental institution was this?

"Very well," Tampoda reached for a registration form. "He will need a parent or guardian, unless he's over eighteen."

Ren smirked. "Ha, you can get me to sign this."

Jun sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this." She pulled out a mini tape recorder out of her pocket. Ren stared at it and she pushed the _on_ button.

"You know you love me, Ren," came Horo's voice in perfect imitation of the rabbit.

Ren hissed and grabbed the player, ripped out the tape and proceeded to tare out the ribbon while sitting on the floor. He even used his teeth. As he continued to do so, Tampoda stared at him.

"We might be able to reconsider in his case. One moment." She picked up the phone and pressed a button. They could hear yelling on the other end.

_"But Ashley!" _

_ "No!" _

_ "But that's not fair!" _

_ "Not everything is. Not be quiet, I'm on the phone. Yeah?"_

"Um for extremely bad cases-" Ren glared. "-are we allowed to admit them without their permission, as long as a family member signs the form?" Tampoda asked.

There was silence then. _"You may admit him."_

"Ok."

_ "Ashley!" _

_ "Shut up!"_ And the phone appeared to be disconnected on the other side.

Tampoda cleared her throat and handed Jun the form.

"This sucks," Ren said.

"Well then you shouldn't have displayed your condition," Jun said.

"Display my- its your fault. You and that dumb shrinks!"

"You need to right down the name of his shrink," Tampoda said pointing to a line. Ren sighed. This was so unfair.

When Jun had finished signing away his fate, they were given a tour and saw a lot of weird people. Like this one who would sit and stare into nothing and then suddenly burst out and yell "Darkness!" fifty times over. And some other female who was apparently playing with voodoo dolls, and saying. "I wuv choo sowa!" who was being closely monitored by another doctor.

They were shown the eating facilities, they discussed the rules, plus some that weren't on the sheet that Ren had read, things like how you weren't allowed to use the phones after hours. Then Ren was shown to his room, which was on the second floor. He stared at the door.

Tao Ren.

Patient # : 201006

Room # : 305

Tampoda ushered them inside, and told him that a time table would be drawn up for him, she then left them alone as she had other patients to attend to.

"See, Ren, it won't be that bad."

"Quiet traitor sibling!" Ren glared at her. How dare she do this to him. "Your lucky I don't have my kawn do or you would be _so_ dead!"

Jun flinched. "Now Ren, this is your chance to get better."

"I've already tried that remember. It didn't work!"

"Only because you drove Horo away!"

Ren stopped glaring and turned away.

"Ren."

"Go away."

"But Ren-"

"Get Lost!"

"Ren please-"

Ren grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her. "I said get out!"

Jun ducked the pillow, dove out of the room and didn't come back. Ren retrieved the pillow from the floor, closed the door and laid down on the bed.

Why did she have to bring that up? He already felt bad enough, and he didn't need to be reminded of it. Besides, if Horo didn't want to come back, he wasn't about to persuade him to do so. Ren buried his face in the pillow and attempted to suffocate himself. It was just Horo. Why was he freaking out so much? When did his happiness become so dependant on someone else? How could he sink so low?

Suffocation didn't work very well, as the pillow didn't stop the circulation of air. Ren groaned angrily and threw the pillow off to the side and tired to choke himself, which proved even less effective then suffocation. He eventually gave up and just laid there, going back to starving and dehydrating himself. This lasted until lunch time, when they brought his food. It didn't look at all appetizing, and he noticed they had to eat with plastic utensils.

"You will eat in here for a few days, before you join the others in the mess hall," Tampoda said.

Ren didn't move or answer her in anyway. He just glanced at her and then gazed outside the window. She babbled on about who his doctor was, her, and when they would meet and so on. Eventually Ren just fell asleep. And when he woke up, she was gone, it was dinner time, and his lunch had been replaced by dinner food. He stared at it. It looked horrible, but this was coming from some one who hadn't eaten, properly, in about two weeks.

It was some kind of meat, vegetable and green Jell-O. His stomach growled for the first time in a while, but considering his lack of eating, his body might go into shock after doing so. Ren tried to ignore it but it wouldn't stop, so he gave up and tried the food. He didn't care much for the meat or vegetables, so he didn't eat them. The Jell-o wasn't bad so he ate that. When it was gone, he felt a bit better, but still not happy. He pushed himself off the bed and barricaded himself in his bathroom.

His reflection yielded a very pale face and slightly bloodshot eyes. His hair which had been normally groomed and shiny, was dull and messy. He was very skinny, lack of food tends to do that. Ren sighed and gazed around the bathroom for anything that could be used as a valuable weapon. Okay maybe the shrink had been right, he was suicidal.

The bathroom held a toilet, sink, mirror and tub, which only ran water if you had a key, and a doctor or guard, had to be present at the time any bathing took place. So nothing useful. However the tub looked pretty comfy. So he took the sheets of the bed, fetched his pillow and curled up in the tub to sleep.

It was a shock to Tampoda who found him, when she brought his breakfast, which he didn't eat, the next morning.

The days passed pretty much the same, he stayed in his room avoiding everyone, didn't eat and saw the doctor, and having no contact from anyone, it made him desperate to talk to someone. He didn't want to use the phone in front of anyone, who knows what might come out of his mouth, so he decided to brave a after hours phone call. They were pretty lax about security at night, cause all the dangerous people had their doors bolted shut and guards outside them, and the head doctor seemed liable to pop up anywhere.

Ren crept slowly toward the registration area hoping no one was there. No one was so he swiftly moved toward the phones. They looked like British telephone boxes, but they were purple, and no one could see him in there, nor hear him if he was quiet. He hid himself inside one and tried to figure out who to call and mentally slapping himself for not doing it earlier. He really wanted to talk to Horo, but would he talk to him? It was Ren's understanding that Horo was still mad at him. He decided to chance it and called Yoh s house. Thankfully Yoh picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Yoh!" Ren whispered frantically.

_ "Ren why are you whispering?_"

"Never mind. I want to talk to Horo!"

_ "Um Kay. I'll get him before I go to sleep."_ And Yoh wandered away from the phone. Ren drummed his fingers on the door, but then remembered he shouldn't make noise and desisted.

_"Hello?"_ came Horo's voice.

"Horo!" Ren said happily and strangely high pitched and almost forgetting to be quiet.

_"Ren. It's the middle of the night. What if I was sleeping?"_ There was slight anger in Horo's voice, but also gentle happiness.

"Horo you're an insomniac on weekends," Ren whispered.

_"Oh right. Why are you whispering?"_ Horo asked.

"I don't want them to hear me."

_ "Who?"_

"The doctors."

_ "Doctors? Ren, where are you?"_

"D.I.M.I. the mental asylum," said Ren.

_ "Uh, how'd you wind up in there?"_

"Jun."

_ "Oh, but don't you have to sign the papers?"_

"She had some tape with your voice on it, in perfect imitation of the rabbit and it made me display my _condition_ in public. They made an exemption," whispered Ren, winding the phone cord around his finger.

_ "Oh so that's what she wanted that for,"_ said Horo sounding amused.

Ren rolled his eyes. "If she's asking you to say that into a tape, then its obviously for me." Horo snickered. "No don't you laugh."

Horo continued and Ren frantically tired to get him to stop, afraid someone might hear. "Horo, please stop."

Horo stopped. _"Fine. I won't get you into trouble."_

"Thank you." He heard Horo clear his throat.

_ "So why are you calling?"_

Ineed someone to talk too," said Ren.

_ "Why can't you talk to your fellow un-stabilities?"_ he asked keeping the bitterness to a minimum.

"I don't want to talk to them. They frighten me," he paused then said quickly.

"I don't belong here!"

_ "Ren-"_

"I'm not half as crazy as some of the people here!"

_ "Ren-"_

"I need to get out of here before I succeed in killing myself!"

_ "Ren, shut up!"_ Ren fell silent.

_"You've tired to kill yourself?"_

"Several times. I would have succeeded yesterday if they hadn't taken my glass away."

_ "Where'd you get glass?"_ Horo asked.

"My bathroom mirror. I broke it in a surge of anger," replied Ren quietly.

_ "Ren, what did I tell you about glass?"_

"But that was a lamp not a mirror."

_ "It's still glass."_

"Doesn't matter anyway. I don't have it anymore," said Ren grumpily.

_ "That's not the point-"_ Horo started annoyed, but Ren interrupted. "Stupid doctors took away my salvation and put some spell on my mirror."

_"Ren I don't want you to kill yourself,"_ Horo said sincerely.

"Its too late," Ren muttered.

_ "How so?"_

"I'm already dead."

_ "Um no your not."_

"Yeah I am. I've been dying a little bit each day for the past mouth," Ren said and decided to sit on the floor as the cord stretched that far. _"_

_ How?"_

Ren was tempted to say because you left me, but opted for saying. "By starving and dehydrating myself. And it would have worked if Jun hadn't intervened."

_"Good thing she did,"_ Horo muttered.

"Don't you betray me too!"

Horo snickered again. _"Well it can't be that bad."_

"Believe me it is," said Ren checking to see if anyone was outside the box.

_ "If you say so."_

"And I do. You'll just have to come and see for yourself. Then you'll believe me," Ren retorted.

_ "Nah that's ok."_

Ren closed the door, heart plummeting. He had figured Horo didn't want to see him again, even if he was locked in a mental asylum.

He leaned against the door. "Horo, please, come and visit me. I..I need to see you," he said unable to keep the pleading and over whelming sadness out of his voice. He heard Horo sigh. "Please?" There was complete silence, except from the drumming of fingers on a table, that was coming from Horo. It wasn't really that hard of a question, yes or no, but because Horo was mad, it didn't seem so easy. Ren really wanted him to say yes.

Horo sighed again. _"Alright. I don't know when, but I'll come and visit you."_

"Thank you."

_ "One condition."_

"What?"

_ "No more suicide attempts."_

Ren didn't know how well he could hold up to that but said _alright_ none then same. He felt much better then he had in days. They talked for a little longer about random things, and they finished right before day break and Ren started to panic about being caught. He blurted out _I miss you_, which caused the tone of Horo's voice to change from semi happy to really happy. After a few more randomly blurted out things they said goodbye and Ren made his way back to his room, only to be caught by the head doctor, just five paces from the door.

"Aw crap."

"You know, premonition, may not be a common trait, but maybe you should be careful around those who do," she said, blue eyes watching him amused. Ren was having difficulty remembering her name, but he nodded. "And maybe you should abide by the rules as well. We don't need patients who think their fine wondering around. Especially manically depressed paranoid, psychopaths with suicidal and homicidal tendencies."

Ren flushed. _ Stupid shrink. _

"Now then, Mr. Tao, if I was you, I would get into my room before I get into bigger trouble." Ren nodded and entered the room. The doctor stuck her head in. "Oh and it wasn't nice of you to threaten Tampoda. If your not careful, you might suddenly find me as your doctor, and you won't like it much."

If it was possible, Ren paled.

She nodded to him. As she pulled away, a voice yelled. "Ashley!"

His door closed and he let out a sigh of relief, then crawled into bed and slept for most of the day. Around dinner time, his promise to Horo about no more suicide attempts was put to the test as one of the patients hid in his room and he couldn't get rid of her, seemingly suicide was the only way out as she attacked him with he voodoo dolls.

"Go Sowa! Beat him you flying pansy!"

It took all of Ren's will power to not slap her. Eventually he was saved.

"Holly! What are you doing?! It's bad enough you annoying Sora with those things! Stop bothering people!"

"No!" Holly said pushing her brown hair out of her face. "I'm bored. And Sowa wants to play!" She held up one of the dolls and shook it. "Okay Ashley!?"

"Sowa and Ho-lie can play in another room with padded walls!" Ashley said as calmly as possible.

Holly appeared to ponder this, then said. "Yay!" and they left Ren alone, with thoughts of was Horo worth seeing before he died? The answer was relatively simple and he suffered silently.

Three days went by and Ren managed to keep himself alive, with many near misses, which included almost over dosing on pain killers for his unending headache, and deliberately falling down the stairs, but besides that everything was ok. He was still waiting for Horo to visit and hoping he hadn't forgotten.

Sitting in a chair by the window, with his head on the sill, gazing outside, eyes unfocused, he didn't hear the door open.

"Ren." it was Tampoda. "You have a visitor."

The door closed and Ren slowly turned his head to see Horo standing there. Ren very quickly got up and threw his arms around Horo, regardless if Horo was till mad at him. It could have been anyone and he still would have hugged them. He felt Horo's arms wrap tightly around him pulling him closer almost choking him but Ren didn't care. He missed being held so much, which he couldn't believe, that Horo could get away with almost anything. Almost.

It was a very long hug but it ended. Horo placed his hand below Ren's ear and stroked his cheek with his thumb. "Your so pale." he said. Ren placed his hand on Horo's and didn't say anything. "And so thin."

This was made in reference to Ren's weight before hand, and the fact that the shirt, which was Horo's, was hanging very loosely away from his body. Horo's hand left Ren's face and he pulled the shirt until it form fitted Ren's body. Horo smiled. "Yep. Very skinny." Ren gave him a small smile. Horo cleared his throat and released the shirt, and they just stood there.

You would think a month of separation would be enough to settle any disagreements, but not in this case. Past pain and arguments ran too deep.

"Listen Horo," Ren said looking down. "I can understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, because I'm a jerk and now I'm stuck here and all, and-"

"What are you trying to say Ren?" Horo asked quietly.

"Only that...if you don't want to be see me anymore I..I won't bother and try to bring you back," Ren said very quietly.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you, Ren, its just, I want you to be a little more open, with me, and your feelings," said Horo forcing Ren to look him in the eye. "Alright?"

Ren nodded.

"What brought this up all of a sudden?"

"I..I don't want you to leave me!" Ren said and threw his arms around Horo again.

Even though Ren hated being dependant on people for things, he knew that his happiness depended soulfully on Horo being in his life. Horo's arms went around him again as though excepting his statement. Afterward they sat down on Ren's bed and Horo filled him in on what was going on outside D.I.M.I.'s walls. Which nothing exciting happened.

At lunch time, Tampoda brought his food. Ren ignored it like always. "Aren't you going to eat?" Horo asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"It tastes bad." Ren said eyeing the food.

"Really? It looks good to me."

"Horo you'll eat anything."

"Oh yeah."

"But if you want to try it," Ren said spooning meat and vegetables onto the fork and holding it up to Horo who ate it.

"Hmm this is really good!"

Ren sighed and laughed. He then pushed the plate toward Horo and thieved the Jell-O.

"How come you get Jell-O?" Horo asked.

"Because it's the only thing I like," Ren said eating it.

"So, your still starving yourself?"

"No. Sometimes I get other food that tastes good."

"Oh alright." When Horo hand finished Ren's lunch, Tampoda took Ren's plate away and they were left alone again. "Why does she have to watch you?"

"To make sure I don't deliberately choke myself," Ren said leaning against the wall.

"Yeah that makes sense," Horo muttered.

"I did promise you, no more suicide attempts right?"

"Yeah." "Well this is just an extra precaution," said Ren fiddling with the blanket.

Horo nodded and then said. "Ren. I want you to be happy." Ren opened his mouth to say _then get me out of here_ but Horo silenced him by placing a finger against his lips. "But I think that this place, can help you, with your _condition_ and with our relationship."

Ren's eyes filled with sadness and betrayal. How the hell could this place help with their relationship?

"But I still care about you. A small separation, while you're here getting better, might help. We might learn how to not fight as much, though some of the fights are very amusing, and it might help us get along better."

Ren nodded. _This sucked._

"Please Ren, just give it a try. Please," Horo pleaded.

Ren nodded again. He could try, but he wasn't going to like it.

"Thank you," Horo removed his finger from Ren's lips and gently kissed him. "Everything will be alright."

"You're not still made at me are you?" Ren asked suddenly.

Horo opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. His face totally betrayed him. He was still mad.

"Well?"

"Ren, I'm not going to pretend, but yes I am still mad at you, but that's only because, I'm tired of being treated like an idiot."

_I knew it. _Ren thought. He moved a little bit away from Horo. He didn't want Horo to be mad at him. But he couldn't think of anything to do to make him not angry.

"What is it?" Horo asked.

"Nothing." He got off the bed and decided to give Horo a tour.

While passing the group activity room, a few of the male heads, not to mention female heads, turned to follow Ren as he lead Horo out to the grounds.

"Um Ren, why were they watching you? Horo asked.

"Cause they're interested in me," Ren said leading Horo to the mess hall doors.

"Really?"

"Yep." He heard Horo grumble about something so he had so say. "Do I detect a hint of jealously?"

"No," Horo said a little too quickly.

Ren laughed. "Tell the truth."

Horo blushed and mumbled, "Ok yes. I'm jealous."

"Why?"

"Cause they get to spend more time with you then I do."

Ren laughed again. "And how does this work with your separation speech?"

Horo blushed even more. Ren chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek and proceeded to drag him around the facility. They went back to Ren's room for dinner and after a few more hours Horo had to leave. They stood outside for a while and Horo hugged him.

"See you later alight?" Horo asked and Ren nodded.

They said goodbye and Horo climbed into the car which Ren recognized as his own, which meant Horo must have borrowed it, and drove away. Ren reluctantly went back inside.

The next few weeks went by slowly, to slowly for Ren's liking, as he still wished he could leave, mainly because he had been hit on several times by his fellow patients, mostly the male ones, the females got too giddy around him and couldn't talk to him, whether on medication or not. He had also threatened one of their lives when they attempted to preform acts of courtship, which got him in trouble, where he wasn't allowed guests for a week and his Jell-O got taken away.

However nothing compared to what happened next. While walking back from the mess hall, one day, a group of males, no doubt, cornered Ren against the building out of sight of all the windows and doctors. He managed to knock them all out, save one, with his superior kung fu skills, though he was still pretty feeble at the time, the one remaining however, was pretty strong. Ren couldn't get away from him, no matter what he did.

Freaking out and wishing he had his kawn do, he was powerless and had to endure the constant touching, which first of all made Ren what to gag and second of all made him wish Horo was there instead. He didn't know how long it went on, but Tampoda and Ashley, the head doctor, found them and boy did that guy get it.

First he got set on fire and then turned into a blob, which confirmed Ren's suspicions that Ashley could do magic. They were all dragged away and locked up and Ren was escorted back to his room. He felt dirty and used, almost like when Horo had tried to pull this on him, but ten times worse. He got permission to take a bath and had to use a lot of self control to avoid drowning himself. He then sunk into his bed and gazed emptily at the ceiling.

Two days after the incident, Horo made his second weekly visit. "Ren what happened? You look like someone died," Horo said sitting down on the bed.

Ren didn't say anything but crawled into Horo's arms. Their relationship had gotten better over the last little while and Horo had possibly forgiven Ren for their previous argument as he was perfectly normal again.

"Ren what is it?"

Ren wanted to avoid talking about it, but Horo's persistence, which had never been a good thing for Ren, made him spit it out.

When he was finished he could see that Horo was half in mind to go and severely punish them, which is what Ren wanted to do for two days, but refrained from doing so, so he couldn't get in trouble. As Horo stood up to go and extract revenge, Ren threw his arms around Horo's waist and pulled him back down onto the bed. Pinning him down Ren tired to explain that if he did something he might get into trouble and might not be allowed to see him again, also Ashley might get mad and turn him into something un-natural.

"But Ren, they assaulted you. And tried to do god knows what!" Horo said in slight protest. Ren was on top of him so he wasn't complaining.

"Hmm sounds like some I know," Ren said.

Horo looked around and then at Ren. "You don't mean me do you?"

Ren laughed and swatted him. "Of course I mean you."

Horo snickered. "I haven't done stuff like that in a while."

"Thankfully." Ren said and he layed down on top Horo. "Don't know what I would do with you if you still did."

"You'd freak out and hit me more?" Horo suggested wrapping his arms around Ren.

"Yeah that seems about right."

They sighed and then Horo said, "I'm going to ask this doctor if I can punish those jerks."

"I wouldn't advise it," answered Ren.

"Why not?" Horo asked and Ren was about to answer when his door opened and Ashley came in. Ren got off Horo and made him sit up.

"Lunch time," she said eyes traveling over him and Horo.

"What happened to the other girl?" Horo asked Ren.

"Oh I threatened her life too many times, so she switched."

Horo nodded. "Where's the food?"

Ashley looked up from her clipboard and snapped her fingers. They food appeared in front of them. "There."

Horo stared and then began to ask his question, but Ren clamped his hand over his mouth. "No you might make her mad. The last person to do so was afraid to sleep for two days and it was her friend," Ren whispered.

Horo started to nod but Ashley said. "No you may not take revenge on the people who assaulted Ren." Her gaze returned to the clipboard. "They've been punished enough."

Horo stared. "She read my mind."

"No. I have the ability of premonition. That's different."

They all fell silent and she was about to leave when the annoying brown haired girl named Holly ran into the room. Ren back away slightly. Ashley sighed and pushed her blondish brown hair out of her face.

"Ashley!" she whined. "I want Sora!"

"He's at work Holly. He can't visit you."

"But I want him!" Holly continued to whine and made a noise which sounded like a dying moose.

"Your mating call won't work, Holly," Ashley said trying to leave the room but Holly latched on to her arm and attemper to pull her down the floor.

"Then I want my child!"

"Damon's at the park with Yugi and the kids."

"Which ones?"

"Remus and Arum-"

"Gay little incest buddies!" Holly interrupted.

"-and Kismet's with Yami, Daemon and Dameon."

"Oh yeah that's great fun. Want Sora!"

Ashley made hand gestures of wanting to strangle her. "Jesus Holly. Sometimes I don't know how he can stand- Sora!" She turned and looked and a man with short brown hair and blue eyes, who had appeared in the doorway.

"Yay Sowa!" Holly bounded over to him and they left. Ashley apologized and closed the door.

"Did any of that seem weird to you?" Horo asked.

"No it's a daily thing." Ren said eating his Jell-O. "What was weird?"

"First off, she's insane and deserves to be locked up. And seconded that conversation was disturbing."

Ren snorted. "They can be worse."

"Oh I imagine so."

After lunch, Horo wanted to avoid any room with Holly in it, so they went outside and walked around. They had been walking for about five minutes when they were approached by one of the guys who had assaulted Ren.

Ren grabbed a hold of Horo's arm. "Aw man. Can't he go away."

"Hey you. Blue haired freak!"

"Hey don't you insult him! That's my job!" Ren said.

Horo looked at Ren. "Thank,s Ren."

"Sorry."

"What do you want jerk?"

"What are you doing wandering around with _my _Ren?!" he said. Clearly this guy had skipped out on his medication.

Ren spurted, "Yours?! When did you come up with that idea?!"

"He belonged to me way before he even met you!" Horo said glaring.

"Well he belongs to me now. So give him over before you get hurt." He cracked his knuckles.

"Your just asking to be beaten," Horo said.

"No. Remember what Ashley said!" But it didn't matter, they fought and Horo lost.

"See that guy's a loser. Why hang with him?"

"He's not a loser," Ren said ashamed. "He's just uh-"

"A loser."

"Hey that _loser_ your talking about is my boyfriend so shut up!" Ren said angrily hoping Horo wouldn't get made at him for calling him a loser. The jerk opened his mouth to say something but then realized his shirt had caught fire. He screamed and ran in circles. Ren went over and helped Horo up and they heard Holly's voice, much to Horo's displeasure.

"Look Ashley I did it!"

They turned and spotted her, the male from earlier and Ashley walking by.

"Oh yes Holly. Very good," Ashley said. "Now- Holly!"

Holly ran over to the jerk and started beating him with her voodoo dolls. "Take that and that!"

"Mother!" came an exclaimed cry which belonged to a younger looking version of the male near Ashley, who was accompanied by a boy his own age with black hair and two younger boys with red and black hair.

"And that! Hi Damon!" She continued to beat him.

The red headed boy tugged on the sleeve of the older black haired boy. "Oto-san, baa-san #2 is scaring me."

"Me too, Remus."

"I wanna play too!" said the younger black haired boy.

"No!"

Ren and Horo edged away and went back inside. "Weirdo's. Your right Ren. You don't belong here," Horo said.

Ren smiled.

They sat down and Ren was never going to let Horo forget that he lost to a mentally unstable person, to which Horo said, "Yeah well you lost to a mentally unstable person too!"

"Yeah but I beat up the others and I am mentally unstable so it doesn't count."

Horo stayed for the rest of the day like always and left reluctantly when the visiting hours where over. "Do you know when you'll get out?" Horo had asked before leaving.

"I don't know. They want me to take anger management, and that's supposed to take a while," Ren answered.

"Hurry up and get better." Horo said and give him a small kiss before leaving. Ren went back inside, narrowly avoiding the guys who had assaulted him.

In his room he sat in the chair by the window and gazed outside, and shortly fell asleep.

**Ashuri: this chapter is so long. Man, my hands hurt. Anyway...it is very weird yes. There is a big story behind the weirdo patients, but don't ask. Its very complicated. Anyway...um OOA is comic. Check my bio for updates.**

**Songs: **_**we belong together**_** by Miraha Carrie and **_**lovefool**_** by cardinal.**

**RXR please.**


	13. Irafuror Brevis Est

**Ashuri: thanks for the reviews. Glad you liked it and found it enjoyable and funny.**

**To. Jiannetsuke-TAK: I do have stories with those characters in it, most of them are far from complete, but one is almost finished. Thanks for thinking their cool and interesting.**

**To. SaturnMax:**** yes Horo forgave Ren, somewhat, and yes Ren will get let out soon.**

**To. Almighty holie bean**** (nice): I'm not going to yell at you.**

**To. Anonymous reader**** (it's me): I don't know if any of the other characters will be in there...Horo's sister might be in a later chapter...but as for the other's I'm not sure. Why? Which characters do you want to see?**

**Yes this is all extremely entertaining. Hope I answered your questions, now on with the craziness.**

**Hao: why am I still the disclaimer?**

**Ashuri: cause I like you, Yoh is still sleeping and Ren is currently indisposed.**

**Hao: damn. She does not own shaman king.**

Chapter thirteen: Irafuror Brevis Est. (anger is brief madness).

A few days after Ren started anger management, which he believed was pointless and didn't help in the least, not to mention that the stupid shrink might have played some roll in getting him stuck in it, Horo payed him a visit and told him that he had to go and visit Prika back home.

"But- NO, don't leave me!" Ren said latching on to him as though his very existence depended on Horo being in Tokyo with him. "Why do you have to go?"

"Cause Prika wants me too. And you were supposed to come with me, but you ended up here," Horo said and muttered something inaudible which was "Prika was sure disappointed."

Ren didn't hear him. Obviously this trip was planned a long time ago, without Ren's knowledge.

"What did you say when you told her I wasn't coming?" Ren asked.

"I said you were sick and not up to traveling."

"Well that's partially true."

Horo stared at him, not understanding, then looked at Ashley who had come to change Ren's sheets. She tapped the side of her head and mouthed. "Mental." "Oh." Horo said getting it. "Yeah."

Ren smiled, then pouted. "I'm going to be all alone!" He looked up at Horo and whined as Ashley left.

Horo who couldn't resist his whine, held on tightly to him. "Believe me Ren, I would love to stay here with you. Preferably not in this building, but together...somewhere." He paused. "But I brought you something to keep you company.

He bent down and retrieved something from the bag he had brought with him. Ren waited, wondering what it was. When Horo straightened up, he held the rabbit in his hands. Ren hissed, grabbed the rabbit and attempted to decapitate it, but then desisted and hugged it instead. Oh how he missed it. Wait..he thought...yeah, I did miss it, sorta.

A noise from Horo clearly stated that he still believed that Ren liked the rabbit more then him, which Ren proved was not the case, somehow, in the space of about two minutes.

"And while I'm away, I'll have this to keep me company." And he held up a purple stuffed rabbit, Ren's white's day gift to him.

"You actually kept it?" Ren asked.

"Of course. I would never throw away a gift you gave me, even if it sucked," Horo said, petting the rabbit in perfect imitation of Ren, which Ren didn't notice.

"Well, okay. I'll remember that," Ren said.

"But Prika still might get mad, because I've given that to you?"

"Just tell her I've borrowed it while I'm sick."

"Hmm that might work," Horo said placing the rabbit on the bed beside him and pulled Ren into his arms.

"Horo, what's wrong?" Ren asked.

"Nothing. Just be quiet for a moment." The silent comforting hug was something they both needed, more so Horo then Ren at the moment.

Their time together was very limited, and didn't last long as Horo had to leave early to go and visit his sister, whom Ren was getting jealous over, for no apparent reason except for that she got to spend time with him and Ren couldn't even see him. As soon as he had left, the realization that he wouldn't see him for a while finally hit him.

This was going to be a very long...however long Horo was gone, as he didn't know when he would be coming back.

In the period of one hour, Ren had managed to have about three conversations with the rabbit, which included saying "Do you think he's thinking about me?", "How far away do you think he is?", and "When is he coming back.", got a phone call from Jun, actually threw up his food and was told he had a cold, and threatened Ashley's life, for all the good it did, she wasn't afraid of him. He didn't even get the satisfaction of scaring someone, as she scared him more by threatening him instead.

The doctors at D.I.M.I. were sure different then any doctors he had ever seen. Were they like supposed to frighten you into getting better or something, or maybe the vast amount of knowledge they had on you was supposed to freak you out, as he believed Jun hadn't put that much information on him on that registration form. She wasn't writing on it that long.

In the period of three hours, Ren managed to get himself locked in the room with the padded walls, because he had broken two nose's, _("Fucking jerks! Don't touch me!")_, was prescribed some sort of medication, and refused to take it and flushed it down the toilet, _("I don't need this shit! I'm perfectly fine!")_, and tired to kill himself and Ashley with a plastic knife. It didn't work very well as it wouldn't cut his skin and when he attacked Ashley she grabbed it and broke it with ease.

Sitting in the room, he was deprived of whatever would make him feel better, that included the rabbit, and that had him trying to force himself out by dawn the next day, and got himself injected with calming solvent.

It gave him a feeling of pure bliss, like he was floating, and he was suddenly very happy, and didn't attack anyone or do anything evil for an entire day. Which was a first. However near nightfall when he had been allowed to go back to his room, the effects of the solvent were wearing off. Much to his disappointment. Sitting be his window, he really wished Horo would come back. Who cared about Prika anyway. All she was, was his sister, and that's not very important.

He shook his head. Man he was greedy. Prika was important to Horo, that's why he had gone to visit her, and Ren would have been there too, if he hadn't fought with Horo on valentines day and if Jun hadn't locked him in the mental asylum.

Ren groaned. Thinking about Horo was making him depressed and making him feel very lonely. Which was not a happy feeling and the rabbit wasn't helping much. He just wanted to bust out of the place and go and find Horo and...

And what? He asked himself. He had no answer. Hug him, hold him, kiss him, were all valid answer's but they didn't fit with the question he had asked himself. He sighed remembering when Horo had first told him he loved him and how he couldn't even digest the idea. It had made him sick to his stomach. And then he found out that he needed Horo, and everything changed after that. He knew that he needed Horo, knew that he wanted to be with him, but does that classify as love?

Ren didn't know. He had never properly been in love with anyone. How was he supposed to know what it felt like? How was he supposed to give an answer to Horo, when he didn't even know what love was.

He sighed again. He wanted to answer Horo, he knew he would have to one day, but he couldn't if he didn't know the answer to the question.

His musings were interrupted by Ashley bringing his medication, which he still believed he didn't need, and a mug of something warm to drink. She handed it him and stood by to wait, making sure he took it. He sighed and stared at it.

"Don't make me force you," she said in a tired tone. Holly had been extremely annoying that morning by hiding all the towels and putting something in someone's food.

Ren complied and swallowed the medication with a sip of the drink. It was an interesting drink.

"It's called Wassail," Ashley said. "It's made with wine, beer or cider in your case, spices sugar and baked apples."

"It's good." he said.

She nodded and proceeded to the door.

"Why must our hearts force us to love?" he asked quietly knowing she'd have some sort of answer, that he would have to think through.

She stopped walking. "The heart has it's reasons, that reason, knows nothing of." And she left Ren struggling to figure out what she meant.

A week or so later, Ren's anger management lessons weren't going very well. He had to take it along with two other people, who were not as bad as him, but pretty close. Their names were Hidca Callow and Riku Emeto, and to make a large explanation sort, they hated each other, and that annoyed Ren, because they always fought. Ignoring them proved an easy task though.

Another female doctor was in charge of the lessons, Ren always forgot her name so he didn't bother with it anymore. With today's lesson she started out by saying. "Irafuror Brevis Est." They all stared at her. "Anger is a brief madness," she explained. "Your anger, makes you mad for a short period, and then your perfectly normal."

"Except when your Riku and your angry all the time," Hidca said.

"Madness chases some but waits for others," Riku retorted.

Ren rolled his eyes. Here we go again.

Hidca glared at him. "I'm not mad."

"Yes you are. If you weren't you wouldn't be here."

"People please. Lets continue you with the lesson." And she went on to explain that anger was sometimes genetic.

"Which also again, is true in Riku's case." She smiled at him. "Your ancestors must number in the thousands. It's really hard to understand how many people can be to blame for producing something like you."

"Yes and you would know cause your related to my family," Riku said.

"Damn I don't want to be."

Ren got up and left. This was going to end badly, as a matter of fact, as soon as he had gone five paces from the door, there was a loud thud, which met they threw something and a lot of shouting resounded.

He went down to the group activity room which cause a few people to run out of it in fear. He sat down in front of the tv to watch some show called Yu-Gi-Oh. "_And I will reclaim my title as the number one duelist in the world_!" some character said. Ren rolled his eyes. How boring.

Ashley was walking around handing out medicine. When she neared Ren, she didn't scold him for not being in anger management, in fact she turned to the tv, pointed and yelled "DIE!" and walked away as nothing had happened. Ren was probably the only one who noticed. She was a very difficult person to understand, and obviously randomness came from hanging out with Holly.

He glared at the tv. He wanted out. He hated this place he- "Ren I would like to see you in my office," said Ashley right in his ear. He jumped and fell off the couch. Ren looked up to her and nodded.

"This way." she said and lead him to the floor above the one they were on and into a rather large office. "Sit down." she said, sitting in a large purple swivel chair.

Ren sat down in one of the smaller purple chairs.

"Now," she started, but the door opened.

"Ashley!" Holly came running in. "I'm pregnant!"

Ashley sighed. "Again?"

"No I just wanted to interrupt your meeting," she said happily.

"Grr."

"Anyway, Sora got a vasectomy remember?"

"Holly, Sora did not get a vasectomy. How many time do I have to tell you."

"Aw crud," Holly muttered.

"Now get out."

"Aw but why?"

"I'm busy."

"Do you want me to leave?" Ren asked.

"No I want you to stay," Ashley snapped. Ren cringed. Shouldn't have opened my mouth. He thought.

"But what am I supposed to do?"

"Go cast voodoo spells on Hidca or something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Make her love Riku."

"Oh yeah! Haha!" and she left saying loudly. "Oh Hidca? Where are choo?"

Ashley sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with her," she muttered. Then she cleared her throat. "Now, Ren, due to the sign age of contract form D, under paragraph H, hear by indited to consignee A, by law of the institutions of medical efficiencies, and A.M.V.-"

Ren stared at her. What on earth was she babbling about.

She smiled at him. "You have no idea what I just said right?"

Ren shook his head. "No."

She laughed. "That's ok. What all that mumbo jumbo basically meant, was the contract your sister signed has expired. That means, unless you wish to stay, you are free to go. And by the by, your _condition_ has greatly improved."

Ren stared at her again.

"I can leave?"

Ashley nodded.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh wow. I am so out of here," Ren said.

She laughed again. "Don't forget to write. Your sister's waiting outside to take you home. Have a nice day."

"Thank you."

He returned to his room, collected his few things and was out the door before you could say mentally unstable. Jun was there, waiting.

"Well I'm so proud of you Ototo!"She hugged him.

Ren was still a little angry at Jun, but it didn't matter now. He was free. "I'm free!" he said loudly.

"Do that again and I'll put you back in there," Jun threatened.

Ren glared at her and stomped over to his car. "Jeez I was just celebrating."

Jun had been about to unlock the car when Hidca and Holly came racing by.

"Oh...I'm sorry Hidca.. I care about you! I LOVE YOU! Give me a kiss! Muah!" Holly said chasing after her.

"No. You'll contaminate me!" Hidca yelled.

"Kiss me I love you!"

Hidca ran over to Jun yelling "Help me! No! She'll contaminate me!"

Holly threw her arms around Hidca. "I heart me! Kiss me! Love me back! Forget Sora! MINE! I mean aw crap."

Jun stared at them. "That is so wrong. I mean they're twins right?" she whispered to Ren who shrugged. They very well could be twins. They looked alike.

"Help me! Help me! I beg of you! Help me!"

Jun continued to stare.

"Hidca?" Holly asked.

"Help please! Help! Holly! Let go!" Hidca said on the verge of crying in exasperation.

"No I love you!"

"No! No you don't you murdering whore! Let go off me or you'll regret it!" she spat.

Ren sighed and leaned against the car. This was going to take a while, if no one found them.

"No, if I let go, I'll regret it. I can't love you if I let go!" Holly said sadly.

"I don't want you to love me! Your supposed to hate me!"

"No. It was always a lie! I wuv choo Hidca!" Holly said still clinging to her.

Jun backed away slightly, afraid.

"I hate you! Get off me! You there, you lazy bum help me!" Hidca yelled at Jun.

Jun shook her head. "No."

Holly began covering Hidca in fake kisses. "Muah! Muah!"

"Oh god!" Hidca tried to push Holly away. "Help somebody help me! Get off you brainless git!"

"No I want you to love me! WAH!" she cried.

"Well I don't. Let go! You, lazy, stop fucking around and help me!"

Jun backed away some more. "No that's ok."

"NOW!"

In total fear Jun went up to Holly and slapped her in the head really hard.

Holly released Hidca holding on to her head. "Ow! Ow!" she hopped in circles. "My cranium!"

Hidca moved away from Holly. "Thank you!" She pointed at Holly. "Stupid brat!"

Holly glared at Hidca and kicked her in the shin. "Stupid whore!"

"Look who's talking!" Hidca retorted.

Holly opened her mouth to say something else but was silence by Ashley placing her hand over her mouth. "Ok that's enough. You've frightened everyone, so now, Holly your going to be locked in the padded room and Hidca, back to anger management."

Hidca and Holly gave identical whines, but followed silently. Jun slowly went and unlocked the car. She and Ren climbed in and drove away.

"Ren."

"Yeah?"

"I am so sorry. I will never send you here again."

Ren smiled. "Ok."

At least that argument had helped in one way. Jun dropped Ren off at his house, which was empty. Trying not to think of the empty feeling growing inside him, he ordered take out, and sat down in front of his television.

He stared at its blackness, which resembled his insides. Why, why did he feel so alone, Horo would be back soon, its not like he was gone forever. He groaned and slumped his head down onto the couch. He was having Horo withdrawal symptoms, and that was not a god thing. He wanted to be rid of the feeling that engulfed him, even a phone call would help.

BRING-BRING.

Ren sat up and gazed at his phone. Who was calling? He picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Hi, Ren_!"

It was Horo. Ren almost dropped the phone in surprise. "Horo what-"

"_Jun called and said you got out! Hurray!_" said Horo happily.

"Yeah, I'm free!" Ren said.

"_Well that's good. I just called to see how your doing_."

"I'm fine."

"_Did you eat anything?_" Horo asked.

"I had take out," replied Ren.

"_Oh ok._" Ren heard background noises and a girls voice. "_Horo, I want to talk to Ren!_"

"_No Prika. He doesn't want to talk to you." _

_ "How do you know? Did you ask him?" _

_ "No, but I know!" _

_ "Horo!_" Prika whined.

"I'm not talking to her," Ren said.

"_Ren doesn't want to talk to you he just told me,_" Horo said. Ren heard Prika say fine and Horo sighed. "_Sorry bout that. She's really disappointed that you didn't come._"

"Actually...yeah...uh me too," Ren said slowly.

"_Really why_?"

"Cause I can't spend time with you."

"_Oh_," Horo said. "_Right ok I get it. I miss you too, Ren._"

Ren smiled. "You better."

"_I do. But I'll be home soon, in fact-_"

"_Horo hang up the phone! I need to use it!_"

"_Aw man, I got to go. Talk to you later. Ok?_"

"Ok." Ren said. They said they're good byes and hung up. Feeling better, Ren went up stairs awaiting the day of Horo's return.

**Ashuri: well there, Ren got out, it wasn't as serious as Jun thought it was. Ahem, that conversation between Hidca and Holly was something me and my best friend wrote, I just put it in here for something interesting to happen, and it's kinds funny, well it was when we wrote it. I made Ren watch yugioh for some strange reason. Don't think he would like that show.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, RXR please. **


	14. Annoying Siblings of DOOM

**Ashuri: ok new chapter. Heh, should be interesting. I wonder how long this fic is going to be? Thanks for the reviews!**

**To: hollylurveshidca:**** I don't know that the towels thing was. It was just some random thing, like trying to make people angry when their trying to have a shower and they don't have towels, or some annoying person, cough cough, comes in and flushes the toilet. Hm.**

**To: it's me!:**** technically, everyone knew that Horo likes Ren, see chapter two, and so they wouldn't be so surprised. The only people who don't know are Horo's family and the rest of Ren's. Yes, the Ainu people have phones. They went and stole electricity and telephone poles, attached them to their house's and now have phones and tv. (Shrug) I don't know what type of show he would watch, considering he probably doesn't watch that much tv. But it would probably be one with a lot of fighting in it. Cards do not appeal to people who swing kawn do's around, but I stuck yugioh in there cause I like that show, hate kaiba and wanted the character to behave weirdly. English AP? I just take normal English classes, and yes I want to make a living out of writing. I've been told by my teachers that I have a beautiful writing style and I love to write. Fanfics are kinda hard to write, that's why I prefer my own stuff most of the time. (Gosh this is such a long answer.)**

**To: Ya#1fanny:**** um well...let your imagination run wild and pick any random idea that would come to your head over what he said...cause I don't know either. Oooo plushie! Thank ya.**

**Hao: hey make Horo your disclaimer.**

**Ashuri: why?**

**Hao: cause I don't want to do it anymore.**

**Ashuri: he's eating.**

**Hao: that is not a viable reason for me continuing to do this?**

**Ashuri: sure it is. Now come on get a move on.**

**Hao groans: she doesn't own...(sigh) shaman king.**

Chapter fourteen: Annoying siblings of doom.

Ren stared at the small, portable mini desk calendar in his hands, and reached up to grab the pen, that was for some reason behind his ear, even though he knew he put it there on purpose, to avoid it rolling away from him, or losing it in his sheets.

_ Lets see,_ he thought. _Jun stuck me in the stupid mental asylum on March fourteenth._ He circled the date. _And I got released on April fourteenth, which means I was there for a month. Complete waste of time._ He circled another date.

_Horo left a week before I was released. And since its almost the end of April that would mean..._ He clicked his tongue, gazing at the calendar, and drawing random things on the side of it, thinking. _That would mean, Horo's been gone for three weeks._

Ren sighed and chucked the mini calendar into the corner of his room, and laid down on the bed, sad for the fact that its smell was depleting, and now smelt like laundry detergent.

Three weeks was a long time, and then again so was a month, and he some how survived that, even though Jun had intervened to stop anything really bad from happening. Maybe that's why his sibling had taken up residence in his house for the time being. To make sure he didn't hurt anyone, or himself for that matter, or do anything stupid. It annoyed him to have her there, hovering over him, making sure he was eating, and sleeping, which were not at the top of his _things to do_ list.

The thing that was at the top was: GO FIND HORO!

But he couldn't, Jun had locked the doors. And was always sitting there in the living room, delaying any escape on his part, which he didn't know why she bothered. What was it too her if he decided to go and find Horo.

He said this to her once and she replied, "Prika thinks your sick remember? Sick people don't show up on other people's door steps." Which he decided was a valid answer but still didn't like it.

He wanted to find Horo, so he could end the immense amount of pain he was currently feeling, which could only be caused, as Jun speculated, by Horo not being there. She called this _H.W.S. Horo Withdrawal Symptom. _

"This symptom was caused-", he had to sit for an hour listening to her babble on about this and he swore he fell asleep at one point, "-when said person, is no where near the person experiencing H.W.S. The person experiencing said symptom, is only infected when that person, starts to feel affectionate feelings toward said person, and can't be without them-", this was the part where Ren fell asleep.

He then awoke to her saying. "The only way to be rid of H.W.S. is too be with said person." She had also set up diagrams and posters and held a mini puppet show on the thing. Afterward Ren told her, she need to go to D.I.M.I. Upon hearing this, she paled and desisted.

But truth be told, he was missing Horo greatly, as much as he didn't want to admit it, and was still desperately trying to figure out his feelings and how to possibly say the words Horo wanted to hear. However long hours of brooding didn't help, and he was still stuck at square one.

Ren snuggled deeper into his sheets, preparing to go to sleep, when Jun shouted up the stairs. "Ren! Come down stairs!"

"Why?" he yelled back.

"Just cause!"

"I'm going to sleep. So go away!"

"But Ren, Horo's back!"

"That's nice." He blinked. Horo was...back? In an attempt to start walking before he got off the bed, he tripped over his feet and fell to the floor. Getting up and cursing himself for being clumsy, he made his way over to the stairs and went down, missing the last three and falling, into Horo's arms no doubt.

"Be careful Ren. Don't hurt yourself," Jun said.

Ren gave her a look and stood up properly. Then he looked at Horo, who was smiling slightly, as though something was bothering him, and pushing his hair out of his face as he wasn't wearing his normal hair band. Ren tried to constrain his thoughts but it didn't work. _Damn...so good looking._

He had been about to throw himself into Horo's arms, when he heard someone say. "Horo! There you are!" Ren blinked and turned towards the door and tried very hard to suppress a groan. It was Horo's sister. Prika. She flipped her long blue hair behind her back. "I thought I had lost you."

Ren shared a look with Horo and he muttered quietly, "She begged me to bring her. I said no and left without her but she followed. I thought I would lose her when I got into the city. I did. But she probably found your address in the phone book."

Ren sighed. Great. This was going to be swell.

"I'm sorry," Horo muttered. He didn't look happy either.

Prika smiled at them from the doorway, then faced Ren. "Hi Ren!" The next second his vision was obscured by a long mane of blue hair as Prika began hugging him. "I haven't seen you in so long!" she squealed.

Ren stared at her and had the strongest urge to slap her, therefor by knocking some sense into her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Horo didn't look very pleased, and his eye was twitching slightly.

"Um let go," Ren said.

Prika released him from the hug but still latched on to him, and Ren came to the sudden conclusion that he didn't remotely like younger people. They were too annoying. Then again, the same thing could be said about older ones. Especially those who were in your family and knew exactly how to push your buttons.

"Prika, Ren clearly stated that you should let him go," Horo said pointedly.

Prika appeared to ignore him. Ren sighed and heard Jun snickering. Annoying siblings. "Hey Ren," Prika asked.

"What?"

"Will you go out with me?"

"What!" Horo and Ren said at the same time.

Prika gave her brother a look. "Will you go out with me? There's this really cool moving playing-"

"Prika, Ren just got over being sick. He doesn't need to be gallivanting around town," Horo said sounding annoyed.

"Oh that's right. But he should be better now," Prika said.

Ren opened his mouth to say something but Horo jumped in. "He doesn't want to go out with you."

"How would you know? Did you even bother to ask?"

Ren opened his mouth again.

"I don't need to ask. Just let him go!"

"No," Prika said. "We're going to go to the movies!"

Ren sighed. He had a very bad feeling about this. Horo grabbed his other arm and attempted to free him from Prika. "No your not!"

"Yes we are!"

"No your not!"

"Yes we are!"

"No your not!"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

They repeated back and fourth all the while pulling Ren to and fro between them. He sighed again, and got fed up. "Guys, I'm not a yo-yo!" he shouted. However they didn't stop. Jun wasn't helping matters as she was laughing her head off.

"God dammit Prika let go!" Horo said.

"Humph. Fine," and she released Ren's arm and he and Horo fell to the floor, Ren on top of him.

"Nice Prika thanks," Horo said.

Prika crossed her arms and looked really grumpy. "Your so mean Horo. You never let me have any fun."

"It not a matter of you having fun," Horo said, helping Ren and himself stand up. "Its about Ren."

"I know he's your friend but why do you care so much?" she asked idly.

"Never you mind."

"But I do mind though."

Horo opened his mouth but Jun, who had regained her calm composure after her laughing fit, said, "A movie sounds good. Why don't we all go!"

And much to Horo's and Ren's displeasure, they suddenly found themselves stuck in the uncomfortable movie theater chairs, with a bucket of popcorn, waiting for the movie to start. They probably wouldn't have minded it much, if they girls weren't there, Prika had yet to release Ren's arm again.

Ren had been warned to not murder anyone, or he was going to suddenly find himself before a shrink again, by Jun no less, and countered this by threatening to send Jun to D.I.M.I. for her little discussion on H.W.S. And she shut up immediately.

Ren and Horo shared another look. This was not the reunion, after three weeks, that they had wanted. A nice dinner or something, would have been more down the line, the being in stuck in a theater with their sisters, who were for some stupid reason acting very giddy. They both concluded that it was because, the movie they were forced to see, was a chick flick. And they both contemplated falling asleep, which, after they had consumed their popcorn, happened. And they awoke, with Ren's head on Horo's shoulder, which would have been a very awkward situation if Prika had spotted them, which she didn't.

Yawning the two of them followed the girls out of the theater. While they were discussing the movie, Horo and Ren managed to sneak off, and be alone.

"It was really lonely without you, Ren," Horo said. "I may have saved more sanity with you there."

"Yeah but I'm the mentally unstable one remember? How much sanity do you think you would have saved?" Ren asked.

"Oh a good deal."

They walked around for while, discussing what went on in each others absence. Ren even filled him in on H.W.S. which he found very funny. By the time they had run out of things to talk about they had made it back to Ren's.

"Hopefully Prika will stay at Jun's," Horo said as Ren unlocked the door.

"She's not staying here. No matter what she says or does. Considering I only have one guest room."

"That's currently not being used," said Horo closing the door behind them.

"But she doesn't know that," Ren said. "She doesn't even know about your feelings for me."

"Yeah I tried to keep that a secret."

"Good job." They went up stairs.

"You know she has a crush on you, Ren."

"Yes. I am very aware of that."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What do you think about that?" Horo asked.

"Horo, in the past month, I've had so many people interested in me, that I really don't care about who else likes me," Ren said sitting on his bed.

"Except me right?"

Ren smiled slightly. "Of course you."

Horo smiled. "Good." He sat down on the bed as well. "Now-"

BRING-BRING.

Ren whined. "I am going to disconnect that bloody phone!"

Horo quickly pulled Ren into his arms. "Then don't answer it." He kissed him.

Ren tried to enjoy the moment but the ringing of the phone was getting to him. He pushed Horo away and disconnected the phone. "Much better." He turned back to Horo. "Now-"

DING-DONG.

"I despise doorbells!" Ren said angrily.

"Uh, Ren."

Ren glared as the doorbell continued to ring, then grabbed his kawn do and proceeded downstairs as Horo followed. When he got down there, Prika and Jun were there.

"Hi Ren." they said but he just zoomed right past him.

"Uh Ren?" Jun said.

"You've caused your last disturbance doorbell! DIE!" and he jabbed his kawn do at the little button, which the constant dinging, annoyed more then it would have normally.

"Um Ren, if you keep doing that, you'll break it," Jun said.

"That's the point!" Ren hissed. He hit the bell on more tine and it broke.

"I am victorious! I am the almighty bring-er of death to doorbells! Muah ha!"

"Ren's finally gone insane," Prika commented.

Jun sighed and didn't say anything. All Horo said was "Excellent." Which clearly meant he was going to annoy Ren to within an inch of his insanity, just to cover up the awkwardness of Prika's comment and not reveal that Ren had spent a month in a mental asylum.

Ren came back inside and brandished his weapon at their sisters. "You. What are you doing here! Go away!"

Jun actually flinched.

"Now Ren, be nice," Prika said.

"We're just visiting." "Yeah well visit some other time. Now get out of my house."

"Ren your being really harsh!"

"I don't care. I'm tried of being bothered by people! Now leave me alone!" Ren said loudly.

Afraid of being murdered they started toward the door. "Horo, that means you too," Prika said.

"No It doesn't," Horo said.

"Yeah it does. Leave me alone applies to everyone."

Ren rolled his eyes. "No, Horo is staying." He sighed. "Besides you had him alone to yourself to annoy for three weeks," he added in undertone.

Prika looked upset, but stomped out of the house after Jun anyway.

"Well that's a very good way to clear a room."

"Yes, very," Ren said putting his kawn do away and being immediately swept up into Horo's arms.

"Now that we're alone, again."

They shared a few passionate kisses before they realized that they were to tried and couldn't stay awake another moment. So slowly they climbed up stairs, crawled into bed, still fully clothed, and were asleep before you could say "Goodnight."

**Ashuri: yep another chapter, to add to the weirdness. Poor Ren and Horo couldn't spend anytime together because Prika was bothering them. This chapter is shorter the last two, but all my other ideas are for chapter fifteen, and I still don't know how long this story is going to be. Hmm. Anyway RXR please.**


	15. Festival Fun

**Ashuri: alrighty. Chapter fifteen. And yes holie bean, I like to ruin people's fun. Though only Sora and Ren, and they all don't like doorbells. But Ren's the first that I've made hate phones. Sorry for the late update. I've been busy.**

**Hao: she doesn't own shaman king.**

Chapter fifteen. Festival fun.

About a week or so into May, nasty Bugger's became the alterative term for their annoying siblings, as they had yet to leave them alone, and didn't understand that they _wanted_ to be left alone. Ren had thought that maybe Jun, would be the smart one and would obviously know to stay away, however his thoughts were wasted.

So he and Horo were stuck under the evil torture of their siblings, and the rare chance that they were alone, they were normally sleeping, not doing much, or plotting ways of getting rid of their sisters, Ren suggested poison. Even though Horo laughed, he clearly stated that it wasn't that kind of _get rid of_. Ren had been severely disappointed but didn't make a big fuss over it. After a while of thinking, they were back at square one, and had no plan of action, and so they had to endure another few days doing whatever the girls wanted.

Ren was on the verge of cracking again and in an effort to save whatever sanity he had regained he faked being sick, which bought him a few days by himself, and one or two with Horo, so he could _look after him_.

On one such day, Ren happened to be in the shower, and clearly enjoying the relaxational massaging shower spay thing. Basically on the verge of falling asleep in that shower, he just gazed lazily ahead, until the water suddenly turned extremely hot and he jumped backward in surprise.

Apart from wondering if there was something wrong with the hot water tank, he also suspected foul play, so he whipped open the shower doors and glare at the person standing by the toilet bearing a sheepish grin.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he asked Horo angrily, not having used that tone with him in awhile.

Horo's smiled widened. "Just having fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah."

"This to me, is not fun. You almost burned me!" Ren said.

"Aw, I'm sorry. It was just so tempting," Horo said.

"I'll go back to locking the door."

"No."

"Then don't do that again."

"Aw fine," Horo said pouting slightly, then his eyes left Ren's face and snaked down his body.

"What are you staring at?" Ren asked, completely unaware that he was standing there naked, regardless of the fact that he was in the shower and dripping wet.

Horo tried to answer but what came out was some really weird noise, and Ren realized what he was staring at. He pulled the shower door almost closed and stared at Horo threw the crack.

"Don't you get any ideas."

Horo had apparently lost the ability to speak and looked upset at the loss of the sight he had been staring at.

"Now out."

Horo pouted.

"Out. Now." And Ren closed the shower door. He head movement toward the door and then back toward the toilet. "Don't!" he said loudly and Horo issued a loud groan, but did it anyway and ran away with Ren yelling, "Horo you jerk!"

About ten, fifteen minutes later, Ren emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and drying his hair with another. When he entered his room, or rather his and Horo's room, he spotted Horo sitting on the bed.

"I suppose you thought that was really funny didn't you?" Ren asked.

"Very." Horo said smiling. "And very rewarding."

Ren sighed and grabbed his pants, or rather Horo's pants, as he didn't remotely like his clothes at the moment and disappeared back into the bathroom. When he came back into the room he whipped the towel he had used to dry his hair at Horo and said, "Do that again and you'll find your head on the floor next to your body!"

Horo chuckled. "Very well."

Ren had started to walk past the bed, when Horo wrapped his arms around Ren's waist and pulled him closer. "Are you mad at me?" Horo asked kissing his neck.

"No...not really," Ren said. "Just don't do it again."

"Mm Kay," replied Horo.

Ren gazed down at him. "Your very bad."

"I am." and he pulled Ren down into a kiss. Ren ran his fingers through Horo's hair enjoying the contact.

When they broke apart they shared a very small quick kiss and then Ren went to put a shirt on, and then of course the phone had to ring, Horo had made him reconnect the thing. Ren groaned and Horo answered it. Not wanting to hear who was on the phone or what they wanted, Ren left the room, and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Horo followed shortly after.

"There's a festival tonight at one of the shrines," he said. "We've been asked to attend."

"By whom?" Ren asked, though he probably already knew the answer.

"The nasty Bugger's. Annoying siblings of doom. And the thing is we _have_ to go."

"Why?"

"Cause they're making us." Horo said. Ren sighed and dished out breakfast.

"It might be fun. All we have to do is ditch them," suggested Horo.

"I don't have a yukata though," Ren said.

"Don't worry. That can be fixed," said Horo smiling.

Ren eyed him, not liking the look in his eyes, but didn't say anything, and so many hours later, when it was time to go to the festival he wished he had.

"I am not wearing a female yukata in public!" he said loudly.

"By saying that you mean you would wear it in the house only seen by me?" Horo asked.

"No!"

"Come on Ren. It looks good on you."

"Meaning you want me to look like a girl! If your still interested in girls go out with one!"

"Oh Ren, you know I don't want to. Besides your pretty feminine without the yukata in the first place."

"Oh thanks, my pride level has gone way up due to that comment," Ren said sarcastically.

"Your still sexy no matter what though."

"Horo, your not scoring any brownie points."

"Damn."

"I'm not going."

"Come on Ren. You know you want to," said Horo suppressing a smile.

"Don't do that," Ren said quickly.

"But you know you want to."

"I'm not listening," Ren said covering his ears, blocking out all sound.

He felt arms go around his waist and his hand was pulled away from his ear. "You know you love me, Ren," Horo whispered sending shivers down his spine.

Ren froze. _Aw damn._ "Fine. I'll go. Just stop doing that."

"Ok," Horo said and kissed his cheek.

They left the house and on the way there, Ren said, "People are going to think I'm a cross dresser or something."

"No. The only thing feminine about you is your curves. You don't have breasts or anything," replied Horo linking hands with him.

"I should think I know more about my body's anatomy and what not then you do," Ren muttered.

"And it's not like you wear fake breasts and stuff."

"But still..."

"But still nothing. You look mighty fine to me."

"Horo, your still not scorning brownie points."

"Aw crud."

When they arrived at the shrine area, it was packed with people, talking loudly, laughing, playing games, and basically too wrapped up in their own lives to stare at Ren because his outfit was a _dash_ feminine. Jun and Prika were no where to be found, so they wandered around, watching people win and lose at the games.

Horo got bullied into playing one because Ren, teasingly, had said that Horo would lose, seemingly as he couldn't even beat up at a mentally unstable person. With two shots to his ego, and his pride on the line, he stepped up and won the ring toss game, and Ren was given a teddy bear.

"Thank you, Horo," Ren said smiling.

"Ahmm." Horo smiled as well.

They wandered around a bit more and came to a very quiet area with no one around, and a really large fountain with multicolored lights inside, which gave it a cool glow. It was quite spectacular. They had been walking side by side, not holding hands or touching, to avoid drawing attention to themselves, and when Ren stopped walking Horo had continued walking, but stopped when he noticed Ren had.

"What's up?" Horo asked.

"Horo, I've been meaning to ask you," Ren said quietly.

"Ask me what?"

"You say you love me, but do you even know what love is?" Ren asked even more quietly.

Horo smiled at him, a warm smile. "Love is a lot of different things Ren. It never has one meaning," he said. "For example, there's a dictionary meaning. _A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction,"_ he recited. "Which in this case is exactly what you are. But if you want to hear my views on the matter."

He paused and moved closer, closing the distance between them. "I care for you so much. I need you. I want you." Horo placed his hand on Ren's cheek. "I always want to be with you. When I'm not, it's agony. I can't stop thinking about you. When I do I am filled with such emotion that everything else stops mattering. Your always on my mind, tormenting me, letting me get so close and then pushing me away. I would do anything and everything for you, Ren."

Ren looked up at him. It was amazing. How could one person feel all that? Did he feel that? Well something along the lines of that. But then why couldn't he say the words Horo wanted to hear?

Horo pulled him into his arms and hugged him, then kissed him. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes," Ren said softly.

"Good. Now, this is a festival we're supposed to be having fun. We can talk about this later, if you wish."

Ren nodded and pulled out of the hug. "Thanks, Horo."

"No problem."

They returned to the crowded area and Horo purchased some ice cream for Ren, as he was suddenly very hungry. As they were walking, some person rushed passed them and Ren, who had his ice cream near his mouth, got a face full of chocolate ice cream.

"Inconsiderate jerk!" Ren yelled, wishing he could chuck his ice cream at the dude's retreating head.

He attempted to wipe off the ice cream with his hand, he didn't have a napkin, and only succeeded in making his hand sticky, which, after he _believed_ he had gotten it all off, he found a water fountain, and removed the stickiness from his hand.

"Ren."

"Yeah?"

"You still have ice cream on your mouth," Horo said.

"Oh." Ren moved to wipe it off, but suddenly Horo was kissing him and it was impossible for him to clean. He then felt Horo's tongue slid over his lips, cleaning off the rest of the ice cream. When they had broken apart, Ren stared at him and said. "Well that's one way of getting it off." Horo laughed and they continued walking.

After awhile they ran into Anna and Yoh, who had also been forced into coming. They were engaged in a conversation when they heard someone say. "There you are." They turned to see Prika and Jun, in their yukata's coming toward them. Ren and Horo groaned. And it had been such a nice evening.

Prika latched on to Ren's arm. "I thought we would never find you!"

"We were wishing you wouldn't," Horo muttered.

Ren tried to shake Prika off, but she wouldn't let go. "Release me," Ren ordered.

"Oh don't be so harsh, Ren," Prika said holding on tighter.

"Quit touching me!" Ren whined.

"Nahuh."

"Prika, let go of him. If you make him angry I'm not going to stop him from killing you," Horo said failing to keep the anger and slight jealousy out of his voice.

Prika released him and pouted. Ren seriously believed she looked nothing like her brother.

"Don't pout. You look like a dog," Horo said.

"Why are you being so mean to me?"

"Why are you being so annoying?"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are. Just go back home."

"No. I wanna be with Ren!"

"He doesn't want you here!"

"He can speak for himself. He doesn't need you too do it!"

"I know what he's going to say, so does it really matter?!"

"Yes. Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like a jealous crazed maniac!"

"So, why are you wearing a female yukata?" Jun whispered to Ren.

"Cause Horo made me."

"You do everything he says now?"

Ren glared at her. "No. He was imitating it."

"Oh I see. I thought you were over that?" Jun asked.

"It still bugs me."

"Ok."

Ren turned back to the fighting siblings, which weren't, thankfully, attracting attention. This argument was beginning to bore him.

"He doesn't want to go out with you. Now leave him alone!"

"No he will go out with me! Stop being protective of him. He may be your friend, but you don't control his life!"

"If she had said that so many months ago, I would have agreed," Ren muttered.

"Point is he's not going out with you. He's already involved."

"Oh really? With who?"

"None of your business."

"There is no one!"

"Yes there is!"

Ren sighed. This would go on all night. He looked around noticing that Yoh and Anna had disappeared, and they still weren't attracting attention. Sighing again, he marched over to Horo, turned his face toward his and kissed him in front of everyone. He heard a gasp from Prika, but as Horo's arms went around him, he got lost in the moment and didn't care.

When they broke apart, Horo turned to Prika and said, "See? I told you he was involved."

"That's just gross," Prika said disgusted.

"Oh don't be so close minded."

"I'm not, just...never would I have believed that Ren would like you enough to...date you."

Ren looked at Horo. "Me either."

Horo smiled. "I have awesome powers of persuasion."

"Oh yeah. Those are some great powers," Jun said. "Making him-"

"Jun." Ren said with a warning.

"Yeah, never mind."

"Why did you keep this from me?" Prika asked, obviously still trying to digest the fact that her brother and the guy she liked were homosexuals.

"I would have thought it was obvious," Horo said.

"Why?"

"Because if I told you, you would act like this, and this is annoying."

"Erg," Prika started and turned her head slightly as to avoid looking at Horo's arm around Ren's waist. "Ren, why are you wearing a female yukata?"

"Cause this oaf made me," Ren said prodding him in the chest.

"Horo, your so mean to him. You don't deserve him," Prika shot at Horo, glaring at her brother.

"Oh and you do?" Horo said returning the glare.

"Yes."

"And how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"It's written in the stars."

"The only thing that's written in the stars is _Prika's a dumbass!_"

They were finally attracting attention, and rather then become the center of attention, due to his outfit and Horo's arm around his waist, he tugged on Horo's arm and said, "Come on Horo. This argument's futile." He began pulling him away. Horo continued to glare at his younger sibling.

"That's right you run away!" Prika called after them.

"Shut up," Ren said. Prika looked slightly put out but fell silent.

Ren pulled Horo all the way back to the area with the glowing fountain. It was still very quiet there. They sat down on a bench in front of the fountain. Horo looked very annoyed. Ren sighed and tapped him on the head with the teddy bear.

Horo looked at it and Ren waved one of its arms. Horo smiled. "Aren't you a little old to be playing with teddy bears?"

"I'm not playing. I'm trying to make you feel better," Ren said pulling the bear away.

"I feel fine."

"Your annoyed."

"Well she annoyed me with her close mindedness and stupidity."

Ren looked at him. "I'll, just keep my mouth shut."

Horo appeared to not have heard this and propped his arms up on his knees and rested his head on his hands.

"She had to ruin the evening."

"Not necessarily," Ren said.

Horo looked at him. "How so?"

"I heard the fireworks are going to start soon."

Horo smiled at him. "Tao Ren, you amaze me everyday."

Ren smiled too. "I'm trying not to be so manically evilly and have the need to kill everyone. But it's hard."

"Change is hard," Horo admitted sitting up and pulling Ren to him. "Is that why you didn't threaten Prika to her face?"

"Sure," Ren said placing his head on Horo's shoulder. Then he added, "Though her death would bring me great joy."

Horo chuckled. "Me too."

They sat quietly for awhile and then the sky was suddenly alive with blue, green, white and red, as the different types of fireworks exploded. Horo turned to Ren, cupped his face and kissed him.

"Your ignoring the fireworks," Ren said when the broke apart for air.

"Yeah I know. But you're much more interesting then the fireworks," Horo said.

"Still not scoring brownie points," Ren said kissing his lips.

"Aw man. Scoring brownie points is hard."

"Ahmm. You have to work for them."

Horo pouted. "You mean I can't pout and get my way?"

"Nope," Ren said tapping him with the bear again.

"Aw crud."

Ren laughed. "You can get me more ice cream though."

"Do I look like your waitress?"

"Yes. Now all you need is the uniform and it'll be perfect."

Horo gawked at him. "Now who wants to dress who up in feminine clothing?!"

"I was kidding. I still want more ice cream though," said Ren still laughing.

"Oh fine." Horo stood up and took a hold of Ren's hand, pulling him upward and in the direction of an ice cream stall. When Ren had his ice cream, they both decided that they didn't want to stay anymore, and began the trek home, where Ren was finally able to remove the yukata, and that made him very happy.

"What's wrong with your own clothes?" Horo asked, getting ready to take a shower, as Ren pulled on Horo's clothes again.

"Nothing. I just don't want to wear them right now," Ren said.

"Or is it because you've gotten used to the comfort of loose fitting cloths?"

"Oh well that too."

"But I like you in _your_ clothes. Don't be ashamed of your gorgeous body!" Horo said.

Ren blushed slightly. "I'm not ashamed. I just don't want to wear my clothes."

"Oh ok." and Horo disappeared into the bathroom.

Ren took the yukata's down to the laundry room and went back upstairs. The bathroom door was open a jar, and Ren had a sudden idea._ Pay back._ He slowly inched toward the door and pushed it open quietly. His eyes flew back and fourth, searching. He spotted the shower, and Horo's silhouette inside, humming. Ren rolled his eyes, slightly smiling. Such an oaf.

Horo was extremely busy with his humming and supposedly playing with the shampoo, as Ren could smell it and it got accidently squirted all over the shower door, and then wiped off. He could be a real slob sometimes. He inched toward the toilet, Horo didn't seem to be expecting anything, either that or he was going to let Ren get away with it.

He had reached the toilet and now was the moment for better judgement to kick in, but it didn't and Ren slammed the toilet handle down.

"Holy shit!" Horo yelled and Ren fled the scene. "Ren!"

Ren doubled over in laughter in the bedroom. He hadn't figured that it would be that funny. His pay back attempt was perfect.

When his laughter subsided, which took a surprising amount of time, he heard the water being shut off and a lot of cursing, which announced Horo's entrance into the room. He looked grumpy. He had obviously believed that Ren wouldn't do something like that as it wasn't really his style. His face made Ren double over in laughter again.

"I would have given anything to see your face! It must have been priceless!"

"That wasn't nice, Ren," Horo said.

"Sure it was. You did it to me after all."

"But I did it in fun."

"No you didn't. You did it to see me naked," Ren said still laughing.

"Hmph."

"Aw come on, Horo. I did it in fun," Ren said ceasing his laughter but still smiling.

"It wasn't pay back?" he asked.

Ren shook his head. "Nope."

"Oh ok."

Horo sighed, still standing there in his towel, hair dripping wet. Ren stopped smiling and stared, thinking it would have been worth it to stay in the bathroom to see if Horo would've thrown the door open. Ren mentally slapped himself. _Stop thinking perverted things._

Horo noticed he was staring and smiled. He wandered over to the Ren. "Whatcha doing Ren?" "Nothin," Ren said, mind completely elsewhere.

Horo pulled Ren too him and Ren's hands landed on Horo's bare chest. Smooth, was all Ren could think. "I think your doing something."

"Nahuh," Ren said completely stuck in the fascination of Horo's attractiveness.

"Ahmm." Horo closed the distance between them in a fiery kiss. Ren's hands snacked up Horo's torso and wrapped around his neck. Horo's hands were on Ren's hips, but they slowly slipped under his shirt. One hand traced circles on his back, while the other fiddled with the rim of his pants.

Something snapped in Ren's brain and his eyes flew open. "Stop," he said and pulled away.

Horo stared at him in utter most confusion. "Ren what-"

He tried moving closer, but Ren backed up. "Don't-don't touch me," Ren said.

Horo was very confused. He had no idea what was going on. "Ren, what's wrong with you-" "Nothing."

"-Your acting very odd."

Horo somehow managed to get close enough to touch Ren's shoulder. Ren slapped his hand away. "I said don't touch me."

"What's the matter?" Horo asked again. By his tone of voice, Ren could tell he was losing patience with him.

"I said nothing."

"Your doing a very poor job of convincing me." Ren didn't answer and started to walk away. Horo grabbed on to his arm. "Your not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

Ren made an indignant noise. "Excuse me! If you think you can order me around in my own house, then you are sadly mistaken." Ren tried to yank his arm away, but Horo wouldn't release him.

"Just tell me what's wrong. I can help."

"You can't help. Now release me," Ren ordered. As he yanked his arm, Horo released him and he fell backwards.

"I'm sorry," Horo said and reached to help him up, but Ren smacked his hand away, stood up and left the room.

He went downstairs and out the front door. He slammed it shut and felt like kicking it. He was half in mind to do two things. One, run away, and two, possibly brutally murder a whole bunch of people, including himself.

"Shit!" he whirled around and looked at the sky as dark clouds rolled in and it started to rain. He slid down the door, abandoning the two things he had thought of doing, wrapped his arms around his legs, not caring that he was getting wet.

He was such a jerk. He needn't have freaked out like that. He could have just explained it calmly. Horo would have understood, but then he had to go and make a mess of their evening, like always. Why was he such an idiot? Why was it effecting him so many months later? God he was pathetic. He hit himself on the head a couple of times.

"Baka. Baka."

Now what he was going to do? He had made Horo mad at him again, and he would probably leave again and he wouldn't be able to explain himself and apologize. Ren shivered. It had gotten cold with the rain but he didn't go inside, he didn't want too. He placed his head on his arms.

_Ren, your such an idiot._

**Ashuri: hopefully this will be their last argument...though its more important then any previous argument...I suppose. Anyway..I've been dared, by my friend, to do a sequel when this is over. But I don't know what to do it on. Hm. It needs some thinking.**

**Please read and review and enjoy.**


	16. How to prove

**Ashuri: yes, the next chapter, chapter before the end I believe...heh, anyway, you must like this pairing holiebean, you must (waves fingers in a I'm going to control you type way) heh heh. Yeah, SaturnMax, you where right. Ren got traumatized. **

**On an important matter, as I said earlier, I was **_**dared**_** to do a sequel, and someone second that notion. So...depending if others want a sequel, I'll do one. But I don't know on what, maybe something on them getting married or something I have no idea. So if you want a sequel, tell me what you want it on. Now cue the disclaimer.**

**Hao jerks away: she...doesn't own sha..man king.**

Chapter sixteen: How to prove?

Ren must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he knew, was he was waking up in his room shivering, his head feeling like it was going to split open, and he felt completely miserable. And the fact that he didn't know how he got to his room didn't help either.

"It still amazes me at how much you talk in your sleep when your having a nightmare," said a voice to his right.

He turned his head and spotted Horo, he looked slightly pissed, but was smiling none the less. "What did I say now?" Ren asked hoarsely.

"Just stuff," replied Horo coming closer. "Now, what do you think you were doing falling asleep in the rain!?"

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but found it hard to do so, so he settled on shrugging.

"You were out there for five hours. I thought that maybe you had gone for a walk, because you were gone so long, or something, and I was going to look for you, but when I opened the door, there you were," Horo said.

Ren thought it was remarkably stupid of himself to fall asleep, especially when he hadn't been that tired. Maybe despair had caused his tiredness. He didn't even remember falling asleep. His head gave an unhappy twinge which caused him to grimace.

"I think that maybe you got sick. I mean you were in the rain for five hours, sleeping for six, and I couldn't properly dry you off without taking your cloths off, so I decided against that, which means you'll have to change," Horo said rambling on. "Or you might just have a fever."

Ren thought this through, did that time frame give enough allowance for sickness to kick in?

Horo produced a thermometer. Ren tried to back away from it. He didn't like thermometer's. "Come on Ren. I have to see if your sick."

Ren shook his head violently, which caused his head to hurt a lot.

"Your not going to suffer from the thermometer. It's harmless," Horo said.

Ren opened his mouth to say something and Horo took that opportunity to stick the thermometer in his mouth. Ren shot him a grumpy look. _Stupid thermometer._

Horo wandered away into the bathroom, while Ren laid there not enjoying himself. When Horo returned, he held a damp cloth in his hands and he placed it on Ren's head. It was comforting. Horo then took the thermometer out of his mouth. "You have a fever."

Ren groaned. No, he didn't want to be sick. Horo went back to the bathroom and returned with medicine. "Are you going to be stubborn in taking medicine too?"

"No," Ren said so hoarsely that it hurt. _I'm not you._ He thought, remembering when Horo had been sick and how stubborn he had been in taking medicine.

"Ok, good," he poured some onto a spoon and gave it to Ren who wanted to gag. The medicine bottle was placed on the bedside table and Ren eyed it, wishing it would blow up and there would be no more of it. Horo also went and got some cloths for Ren to change into and waited for him to get dressed, so he could the damp cloths down to the washing machine.

"You should rest now," Horo said turning to leave. Ren made some violent noise which caused Horo to look at him. Ren blushed slightly and hid his face under the blankets. "Ok." He heard Horo cross the room and then go downstairs. Ren removed the blanket to find the only light in the room came from the hall.

The complete darkness reminded him of his miserable feeling and why he felt so miserable. Tons of negative emotions against himself surfaced, and he had a very hard time battling them and resting like Horo instructed, and so when Horo came back so many hours later with soup, which Ren was very reluctant in eating, he looked even worse then he had when Horo had administered his medicine.

"Are you ok?" Horo asked concerned.

Ren wanted to yell and throw himself at him, but both feats were impossible at the present time, so he shook his head no.

"Maybe you'll feel better after you eat and have more medicine."

Ren rolled his eyes, even though it made his head throb. Horo was really dense.

Horo helped Ren sit up and sat there making sure Ren ate all the soup, which didn't taste that bad considering his reluctance to eat it. After that Horo gave him more disgusting medicine. Ren was still wishing it would blow up , but it hadn't yet, much to his disappointment. Horo left him alone again to rest, and again the negative emotions attacked him and lowered his usually high opinion of himself. He didn't sleep very well and the next morning it was made apparent to Horo, by the look on his face.

"Are you not sleeping well?" he asked, pushing Ren's hair off to the side to see how warm he was.

Ren nodded.

"Why?"

Ren wanted to say why, but his throat hurt.

"Do you have any sleeping pills?" Horo asked.

Ren sighed in exasperation, leaned over and grabbed his medicine bottle. He showed the instructions to Horo. Horo's lips formed. _"Do not take with other medications that are used to produce narcosis."_

"Oh," he said out loud. "Well I don't know what to do about you not sleeping." Horo sat on the edge of the bed to think and Ren, well Ren just leaned over and placed his head in Horo's lap, not remotely caring if Horo was mad at him.

Horo laced his fingers through Ren's hair. "I'm not mad at you, Ren," he said as though reading Ren's mind. "I understand completely. It just took me a while to figure out why you wouldn't want to be touched."

_I wish I could forget it as easily as you._ Ren thought. But he had forgotten it, at least up until the time Horo tried touching him in a way that didn't include kissing and hugging. He had been bent on forgetting all about his _brief_ spell in D.I.M.I. and those bastards, but all it took was a touch from Horo and those memories came flooding back, and they were ten times worse then anything Horo had done to him in the past. And that included attempted sex.

"I'm sorry," Ren said hoarsely, feeling very stupid and wishing he could apologize better, but his throat prevented this.

"It's ok. It's my fault," Horo said.

Ren shook his head. How could it be his fault? How was Horo supposed to know how Ren would react? How was _Ren_ supposed to know how _he_ would react?

"I should have doubled and triple checked to make sure everything was alright, before I did anything," Horo said solemnly.

But everything had been ok at the time, and then it had gone downhill, and Ren was beyond angry at himself for acting like a traumatized child, though he had only felt traumatized for the first day or so and then it was back to _kill the bastards, _and he didn't act like a child at all, so what had happened?

"Maybe trauma takes time to sink in?" Horo suggested.

Ren shrugged. He didn't know.

"Maybe we should call that doctor of yours and ask. She seems to have an answer to everything."

Ren shook his head no, and half expected the phone to ring, but it didn't. "Oh ok."

Ren was tired of relying on people for help, he was tired of being helpless, he wanted his old self back his old life back, the only difference would be Horo, his new involvement in his life was something he couldn't go back to not having, which still surprised him, in a way.

Ren sighed and Horo began to stroke his hair absent mindedly. It was a little weird, Ren had concluded but, it calmed him and eventually lulled him to sleep. When he woke up he was still in Horo's lap and Horo was dozing against the bed frame, mouth slightly agape. Ren sat up and gently shook him.

"Horo," he said quietly.

Horo jerked and groggily said, "Huh, what's happening?"

"Nothing's happening," said Ren softly.

"Oh, ok. I'm going back to sleep then." He closed his eyes and Ren sighed.

He shook him again. "Horo."

"What?"

"I'm hungry," He could tell that Horo was tempted to say _make it yourself,_ but he slowly got up and went to make, soup. "Thank you." Ren said when Horo came back.

"Ahuh," Horo yawned and laid down on the bed while Ren ate. When Ren had finished he found that Horo had fallen asleep again. Ren smiled. He may not have been as sick as Horo had been, but taking care of someone was hard work.

He placed the bowl on the bedside table and threw the blankets over Horo, then slowly went to turn off the light. Climbing back into bed he snuggled close, but not too close, to Horo, hoping that he would have a better nights sleep then before, and when he had awoken it was pretty clear that he had. He also didn't feel as sick anymore. It was amazing what a good night's sleep could do.

Ren looked down at Horo. He was still sleeping. Ren couldn't help but think that maybe Horo would have a little more sympathy for him after this. He climbed out of bed, took his disgusting medicine and went do to the living room, still finding it as spotless as ever. The kitchen was another matter. It looked like a small tornado had hit it.

Ren sighed. _Thanks Horo._ Whether or not Horo had been planning on cleaning up his mess, Ren never found out because he set about cleaning it up himself. Which he shouldn't have really done because he was supposed to be resting, but there was something relaxing about cleaning and he didn't like messes.

As he was wiping down the kitchen table he saw Horo enter the room out of the corner of his eye. He still looked half asleep. "Ren." he said. "Your supposed to be resting."

"I was resting and besides I can't leave my kitchen looking like a tornado hit it, now can I?" Ren replied feeling a weak twinge in his head. "Besides I fell fine."

"You say that now, but what about later?"

"I'll still feel fine?" Ren answered questioningly, depositing the cloth in the sink.

"We'll see," Horo said putting yesterdays soup dish on the counter. He sighed. "Taking care of someone is hard work."

Ren nodded. "Ahmm."

"I'm so sorry. I'm such a burden."

"You mean you _were_ such a burden," Ren said.

"Yeah."

Ren smiled and shook his head. Horo could be very dense at times.

"You know, while I was sleeping, I remembered something."

"What's that?"

"When you were at D.I.M.I. and I...lost...you called me _your boyfriend._"

Ren flushed slightly. He remembered that too. True be told, at the time, he had said it out of anger and without thinking. Now...

"Would you still say that Ren?" asked Horo, who was probably thinking along the same lines as him.

Ren was on the verge of saying _no_, because it was too embarrassing to say, in public or not, but his mouth ran away with him again and he said, "Yes."

Horo smiled as Ren covered his mouth with his fist and turned his head slightly. "Ok."

"Why did you need to ask that? And why did it take so long for you to remember?" Ren asked.

"Cause I have a poor memory, and I was just checking."

"Do you need to check?"

"Yes. I do."

"Why?"

"Because its you," Horo said turning to go and answer the now ringing phone.

Ren looked at the floor. Yes because it was him. Everything was done because him, because he was an emotionally retarded person.

Damn. Why? Why did he have to be? He could royally screw up his life, if he didn't get what emotions he had in check, and stopped ruining every nice movement he had with Horo. His eyes looked upward toward the living room where Horo was, currently gabbing away on the telephone. How did he put up with him and his constant negativity and anger issues? How did he put up with him period? Ren figured that if he was Horo, he wouldn't have been able to put up with himself, and would have left long ago, and was glad that Horo stayed with him, regardless of his negativity and anger issues.

He looked down at the floor again, trying to think of ways to prove to Horo, that he did feel what Horo did, though it had taken him a long time, a very long time, to figure it out. He wanted to show Horo he cared, somehow, somehow without being mushy. He knew that if he just said those three little words, Horo wouldn't doubt his feelings anymore, but he couldn't even think those words let alone say them.

He heard Horo hang up the phone and reenter the kitchen. "Well that little annoying Bugger sister of mine, has decided to go back home," he said.

"Oh well that's good," Ren mumbled, still lots in his thoughts.

"It's such a relief. Now I can't be bothered by her."

Ren nodded slightly.

"Life is good," Horo said happily, smiling and stretching.

No. Life was not good. Ren was an emotionally retarded person and couldn't convey his feelings to the one who loved him. And right now, even though Prika leaving made him happy, he didn't even really care. He hammered on his head a couple times, which he shouldn't have done, cause it hurt, and started muttering angrily to himself.

"Hey, are you ok?" Horo asked concerned.

"No. I'm bloody furious with myself!" Ren said.

"Why?"

Ren growled and bit back an evil retort, then as calmly as possible, said. "Because...I'm unable to prove my feelings for you."

Horo looked at the floor, then up at Ren, and then down again. He didn't say anything. Ren looked at him and then looked away. He was then filled up with an emotion of over whelming sadness. Why did he have to be this way? Why couldn't he forget everything and move on?

His sadness must have shown on his face because Horo crossed the room and embraced him in a hug. Ren flinched slightly, but didn't pull away, he needed to stop being traumatized, and act normal. He leaned backward a little bit, enveloped in Horo's embrace.

"You can one day," Horo whispered. "I know you can."

Ren's shoulders shook violently, feeling that Horo's patience with him was immaculate.

"Even if it takes forever, I will still love you."

Ren's shoulders shook again as he struggled to repress his unhappy emotions that had surfaced due to his lack of ability to prove his feelings, his traumatized feeling and the sadness that lined Horo's words underneath the love.

In an effort to not feel traumatized, Ren whirled around and threw his arms around Horo's waist holding him close. "I'm so sorry," Ren said. "I'm so sorry that I can't be a better person. You deserve better."

He truly felt that at that moment. All the negative feelings that he had been experiencing, had basically told him that he was undeserving of Horo, and that was one of the reason he didn't want Horo to touch him, among other things.

Horo held him tight. "I don't want any one else," he said softly. "I want you."

Ren was on the verge of breaking down completely. Even though he wanted to hear Horo say this, he also didn't want him to say it cause it hurt. It hurt so much that he felt that if having emotions like this hurt then he wanted to be rid of them. But he couldn't. He was human. It was human nature to feel this. And in saying that, he didn't want to be human. But that was something he couldn't change.

"I will always want you."

Ren closed his eyes and tried to close down certain emotions while leaving some open, which didn't work to well. Ren pulled Horo as close as he could, fighting certain impulses that came natural to contact, which he had started to feel, before he started acting like a traumatized child.

"Thank you," Ren whispered. It was all he could say. That and nothing more. He was glad and slightly relived that Horo would wait for him, that Horo would always want and need him.

And even though he knew this, he still remembered the time when Horo and him were just friends, and how he just wanted to hurt Horo when he found that Horo had loved him, possibly always loved him. Now, he couldn't bare not having Horo around him at all. Even a day or so apart drove him crazy, and yet he also felt that he needed to distance himself from everyone else, and sometimes Horo. And he didn't know why.

Ren didn't remember much after that. Exhaustion finally caught up with him and he ended up falling asleep in Horo's arms and woke up in his bedroom, with a note on the bedside table, stating that Horo had gone out for a while and a reminder to take his medicine. Which he did. He still felt miserable but a little better then before yesterdays conversation. He got dressed, in Horo's clothes no doubt, maybe this was his way to feel connected to Horo when they were apart, and went downstairs.

He wasn't hungry so he walked past the kitchen and straight into the living room. Sitting on the couch he saw a small pile of books on the floor, borrowed from the local library, which he hadn't noticed yesterday. Curious, he picked up the top book. The title was _Love vs. Insanity._ Intrigued he flipped open the book and scanned the first page. It read.

_Studies have shown that mental scans of a person in love, show a striking resemblance to those with a mental illness. Love creates activity in the same area of the brain that hunger, thirst and drug cravings create activity in. New love, therefore could possibly be more physical then emotional. Drawing a clear line between physical and emotional when it comes to discussing the brain. _

_ Over this time, the reaction to love mellows, and different area's of the brain are activated, primary ones, involving long term commitments. It has been suggested that this reaction to love is so similar to that of drugs because without love, humanity, would cease to exist._

Ren closed the book slowly. Here was the answer to all his problems. Love had turned him insane. It wasn't Horo's fault, it wasn't even the rabbit's fault, it was love. Wait...he didn't even know if he had been in love when he was diagnosed insane. He clicked his tongue and placed the book on the table, thinking, which he seemed to be doing a lot of lately and it was hurting his brain.

Basically as he saw it, love was confusing, and due to his up bringing and everything else that had happened in his life, not even all the books in the world could help him understand and work through all his emotions and current situation. He sighed and looked at the pile of books again. Another title caught his eye. _Trauma._ He didn't need to think twice before picking it up.

_Post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, is the most common diagnostic category to describe symptoms arising from emotionally traumatic experiences. This disorder presumes that the person experienced a traumatic event, involving actual or threatened death or injury to themselves or others, and where they felt fear, helplessness, or horror. Three additional symptom clusters, if they persist for more then a month after the traumatic event and cause clinically significant distress or impairment, make up the diagnostic criteria._

_ The three main symptom clusters in PTSD are Intrusions, such as flashbacks, or nightmares where the traumatic event is re-experienced. Avoidance, when the person tries to reduce exposure to people or things that might bring on their intrusive symptoms. And Hyper arousal, meaning the physiological signs of increased arousal, such as hyper vigilance or increased startle response. If the traumatic event occurred recently, then an individual might suffer from acute stress disorder, which involves symptoms similar to PTSD, but without the one month duration requirement._

_ Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. It is when many symptoms persist for many weeks or months, or when they are extreme, that professional help may be indicated. On the other hand, if symptoms persist for several months without treatment, then avoidance can become the best available method to cope with the trauma and this strategy interferers with seeking professional help. Postponing needed intervention for a year or more and allowing avoidance defenses to develop, could make this work much more difficult._

_ While PTSD is the prototypical traumatic disorder some people, or some stressors, present variations on this theme. Depression, anxiety, and disassociation are three other disorders that may sometimes aries with traumatic experiences._

Ren closed the book and stared at it. He didn't think he had PTSD, but he was experiencing some of the other disorders, like disassociation, and slight depression, but as the book said, it was normal for those who had experienced traumatic events to feel those. He placed the book on the table and leaned back against the couch sighing and turned his head sharply when the door opened and Horo stepped in.

"Aw your awake," he said closing the door and walking towards the couch.

Ren nodded. "Horo, why do you have these?" he asked indicating the books.

Horo clasped his hands together and leaned against the couch. "I was trying to help you. And I thought that maybe if I understood what you were going through I could help."

"So you think I'm insane and have a disorder?" Ren questioned.

"Ren, everyone who knows you went to D.I.M.I. know's your insane, but I don't think you have a disorder. "

Ren looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I just think your unsure about a lot of things and are remembering things you would rather forget, which are casuing you to experience disorder like symptoms," Horo explained. Ren smiled at him and chuckled. "What?"

"You sound like a doctor," Ren said.

"Really?" Horo asked smiling himself.

"Yeah, if I didn't know you had gotten that information from a book, and didn't know you, I would naturally think you _were_ a doctor."

Horo chuckled as well.

"Thanks Horo," Ren said.

"No problem. Now I'm going to make lunch." Horo hesitated for a moment, before placing a kiss on Ren's cheek, and heading toward the kitchen.

Ren's eyes followed him and he was stuck by a sudden thought. Horo, really was a wonderful person, and he was really thankful that Horo was..._his_... And for it to remain that way, he was going to prove his feelings for Horo no matter what, even if it killed him.

**Ashuri: well that was the end of chapter 16. Ren's gotten pretty determined, so we'll see how it unfolds in the next chapter. There was a lot of referance to disorders and love and stuff in here, trying to get Ren to see the bigger picture, and where he was situated in that.**

** wiki/Love****please review, and I hope you enjoyed it.**


	17. Object of Affection

**Ashuri: okay this is the last chapter of OOA. I want to thank you all for your reviews, you rock and I will be doing a sequel eventually, so I hope you can all can be patient with me and because people love that rabbit, the rabbit will make a comeback in the sequel. Thank you all again and sorry for my lateness. I've been lazy and needed to get back into my shaman king state of mind cause I started getting obsessive over naruto..**

**Naruto appears and sticks his tongue out at everyone: believe it!**

**Ashuri pushes him away: go away.**

**Hao: I'm bored.**

**Ashuri: just do it.**

**Hao grumbles: she does not own shaman king.**

Chapter 17: Object of Affection.

Possibly one of the hardest things to do is telling yourself you love this person and even harder still is telling this person you love them. And as Ren was quickly figuring out it was defiantly turning out to be a lot harder then he thought it would be when he claimed to himself that was going to prove his love for Horo. And the way he went about trying to do this was sitting in front of a small mirror he had attached to the wall and trying to force the three words he could finally think out of his mouth. He had managed to say I and you. The _L_ word would obviously take some time to get out but not being able to say it was beginning to annoy him.

And this annoyance was making him slam his head into the wall above the mirror, which in turn alerted Horo, if he was in the house at the time, to what he was doing, and therefor came upstairs to investigate and the conversation normally went like this.

_"What are you doing?" _

_ "Nothing!" _

_ "It doesn't seem like nothing." _

_ "Well its nothing. Leave me alone!" _

_ "But-" _

_ "Please!"_

Basically it was very short because Horo didn't want to upset Ren too much and Ren tried not to insult Horo and upset him there by upsetting himself in the process. So Horo would go back downstairs and Ren would again try to say the three little words that were consuming his life at the present time. He hated being emotionally retarded and this was the only solution to his problem.

He wasn't getting anywhere fast.

One day in June, taking a break from trying to force the words out, Ren decided to go and lay on a towel on the back porch under a umbrella. Horo was out of the house so he could have a nice relaxing afternoon. It was incredibly hot outside. That was one thing about Japan. It had very hot summers. Stretching, he laid out his towel, opened the umbrella and laid down. It may have been hot but it was some what good. He put his sunglasses on placed his head on arms and basically fell asleep after about five minutes.

Which could have been a bad thing if Horo hadn't come home half an hour later. Horo stared down at the sleeping Ren, while he sipped in a very cold drink, one that had water on the outside of the cup and was dripping downward. Horo really wasn't paying much attention to his drink, as Ren, who was perspiring due to the heat, had captivated his attention, and so, droplets from his drink fell onto Ren's back and jolted him awake.

"Who-what-Horo?" was what he said.

Horo sat down beside him. "Oops. I'm sorry." He took a few sips of his drink, which Ren thieved and finished afterward. "You know it's not good to sleep in this heat," Horo commented.

"I was sleeping?" Ren asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh well, I have a lot on my mind, not to mention it hurts, so it must have contributed to my need for sleep."

"Ahuh." Horo nodded. "And banging your head into a wall could contribute to the pain in your head."

Ren sat up and looked at him. "Do you have any idea what I'm doing?"

"Banging your head against the wall?" Horo asked.

"No. Before that."

"Banging your head against the wall?"

"No. I'm trying to do something important."

"Banging your head against the wall?"

Ren sighed angrily. "You can stop anytime now."

Horo smiled. "Sorry."

"I'm not going to explain what it is that I'm doing too you," he said. "It's very complicated."

Horo nodded. "Okay. Well I think we should go inside, so that we don't melt."

He offered Ren his hand and together they went inside, blinking rapidly due to the sudden change from natural light to flourescent.

"Suddenly, I'm much cooler," Ren commented.

"Well you house does have an air conditioner," commented Horo, depositing the empty drink container into the garbage. "So its bound to feel quite different after walking in from that blazing inferno we call the outside."

Ren snorted and shook his head, which caused him to wince slightly. Maybe he _should_ stop banging his head against the wall every time he got frustrated, if he didn't he might somehow damage his brain. And the pain he felt in it at this point didn't really make him happy about his attempts to say _I love you._

"So," Horo said stretching. "What are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

Ren shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hmm." Horo crossed his arms and stared up at the ceiling. Ren just stood there, for about thirty seconds before he seated himself at the kitchen table and literally slammed his head into it, the pain pounding with the force of hoof beats in his head. Horo stared at him strangely. "What's wrong?"

Ren grumbled something about hoof beats and headaches and about needing aspirin.

Horo disappeared upstairs into the bathroom and returned shortly with the aspirin, which he almost had to force Ren to take, even though he complained about needing it. After that Ren just gazed out the window, his face imprinting onto the table. Horo sat down next to him.

"You know Ren, you've been acting very weird this month."

Ren grunted to show he was listening, though he kinda just wanted to drop off to sleep.

"Why?"

"If you knew what I was doing, you wouldn't question me," Ren said tiredly.

"Yeah, but you said you wouldn't tell me. Its too complicated you said," replied Horo.

"It is complicated," he mumbled, flipping his head around to stare up at Horo. "Very complicated."

"Can I help in anyway?"

"No. Cause you can already do it."

Horo stared at him, greatly confused.

"I'll be able to do it, eventually," said Ren.

They fell silent and then Horo sighed and placed his head on Ren's shoulder. "I hope for your shake, that it happens soon," he muttered.

Ren smiled slightly. "Thank you."

They really didn't do much for the rest of the day except eat and lounge around and watch movies. The next day they were invited to go to a beach in Shonan in Kanagawa prefecture, which was just a an hour out of Tokyo, with Rio, Chocolove, Yoh, and Manta. Because Horo wanted to get out of the house and go surfing, Ren was _forced_ to go and abandon his attempt at saying _I love you_ for the time being.

It could have been worse. It was tourist season so the beach was packed, but they found a good spot. Everyone but Ren and Manta headed straight for the water the second they got there. Manta had decided to watch for a while before he too joined the group in the water. Ren wasn't in the mood to swim right away, so he sat on the towel thinking.

As much as he _enjoyed_ spending time with his friends, he had more pressing matters to deal with and he rather he was at home, with Horo or alone and working on his problem. He wanted to be able to say it and not worry about it. He wanted to say it when he meant it and not force it. He wanted to be thankful to the person who loved him, even though he was mentally unstable and had spent time in a mental institution.

Sighing he looked up to see Rio and Chocolove dunk Horo and Yoh under the water. Issuing a small laugh, Ren got up and dusted himself off and decided to go for a walk and get a drink from the concession stand. Standing there he realized that the line was too long and that he was hungry. Five minutes later the line had gotten smaller and his stomach was growling. _I knew I should have eaten breakfast._ He thought.

Ten minutes later, the line again was smaller, and Horo had joined him in line. "Hey there you are. I was looking for you."

"Sorry I've been stuck in this god forsaken line for fifteen minutes!" Ren exclaimed. "Move faster!" Ten people turned around and gave him evil looks which he returned. "Turn around," he said. "Don't look at me." The people shock their heads and turned around.

"Ren, you could be a little more pleasant to strangers," Horo said folding his arms and gazing upward at the menu.

"Why?" Ren asked as the line moved forward.

"Cause its generally proper to be nice to people you don't know," replied Horo.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right."

"However, same thing should be applied to you, they don't know you and people should never be mean to mentally unstable people," Horo added. The people in the line looked at Ren again and moved away.

"Oh thanks Horo." Ren muttered.

"What?" He looked around and saw that people where either bunched together or they had left the line completely.

"However that comment made part of the line dissipate," Ren added moving forward toward the counter, making more people move closer together as though they were afraid that Ren would suddenly attack them.

"Well then that's a good thing," Horo said.

"Yes. It means I get food."

"I thought you didn't let your stomach win fights?" asked Horo deciding to link hands with Ren.

"I don't. I figured, after I got into line, that I would get something to eat, since I was hungry and didn't eat breakfast," explained Ren, eyeing his and Horo's joined hands as though to touch in public was a bad thing.

"Well that will teach you to not eat in the morning."

Ren rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I could hardly do anything this morning because I had to stop you from bouncing off the walls, cause you were _so_ excited about going surfing."

Horo smiled at him. "But surfing's cool. Its just like snowboarding except on water."

"I know. You've told me ten times already."

Horo continued to smile and randomly kissed Ren on the cheek. Ren give him and look and finally reached the counter where he order his drink and some food then got forced into buying something for Horo.

They returned to where the had sent down their stuff and ate their newly bought items. After about three minutes, "Aw man now I can't swim for a while!" exclaimed Horo suddenly.

Ren laughed. "You should have thought about that before you asked me to buy you food."

Horo whined, "But I was hungry. Swimming made me hungry."

"Well then you'll have to wait," Ren said, finishing his own food, putting his sunglasses on and laying down on his beach towel.

Horo groaned and flopped down beside him. "Fine."

Ren smiled. Horo really was childish sometimes. Even though it sometimes got on Ren's nerves it didn't bother him that much anymore. After a few minutes, Horo muttered something about being bored and surfing which made Ren chuckle slightly before elbowing him playfully in the side. "Oof."

"Stop whining," Ren said. "It'll only make time go slower."

Horo nodded and rubbed his side. "Okay."

Then Ren closed his eyes and fell into a doze, which resulted in sleep in about ten minutes. Eventually Horo woke him up. "What did I tell you about sleeping in the sun Ren?"

"Something about not doing it," Ren said groggily, trying to sit up and failing due to the fact that Horo had covered his torso in a large pile of sand.

Ren gave a very weird laugh caught between anger and the hilarity of his predicament. "Horo."

"Yes, Ren precious?" Horo asked as though he hadn't done nothing wrong.

"I think you want to get this sand off me."

Horo smiled. "Do you really? Well sorry no can I do. I seem to have miss placed my hands." And he hid his hands behind his back.

Ren gave him a look. "I believe I found them. They're behind your back."

Horo pulled his hands back out. "Oh would you look at that."

Ren issued a noise caught between a laugh and a sigh. "Horo, do you want me to suffocate?"

"Your not going too," replied Horo, writing things in the pile of sand with his finger.

"How do you know?"

"Cause...well...just cause."

Ren sighed and stared at him until Horo looked at him and smiled. "Come on Renny. Its fun."

"For you maybe."

"Well then I'll make it fun for you too."

Horo leaned downward and captured Ren's lips in a kiss. If Ren had been free from the sand pile, he would have hit Horo in the head for doing this in public, but he wasn't so he just let him carry on, enjoying the moment as well. When they broke apart, Horo licked his lips and said, "See Ren. Fun."

"Oh very," answered Ren. "Now release me."

Horo pouted and started clearing the sand off Ren. "Party pooper."

Ren snorted at his word use. "Sorry. I just don't think that _me_ being stuck under sand is remotely as fun as you think it is."

Horo nodded and sighed. "Yes." When the sand was cleared Ren sat up, and against his own state of mind, kissed Horo full on the mouth. When they pulled away that time, Ren looked him square in the eyes and said, "Don't do that again." Horo nodded hurriedly.

After a few minutes of sitting there, Horo was dragged off to go surfing and Ren, well Ren sat and watched, not entirely interested in whether or not Horo was any good at surfing, but rather if he fell or not. Which he did. Twice. When Horo came back to land, Ren was standing there by the waters edge and he was smiling.

"Not _exactly_ like snowboarding is it?"

"No," Horo said hanging his head in defeat, soaking wet hair covering his face.

"Well, maybe next time you won't annoying someone about how great it is," Ren said still smiling. Horo nodded. "Good."

They fell silent and Ren look off to the side down the beach at all the people and Horo, stood there, and eventually grabbed Ren around this waist and swung him into his arms, bridal style.

"Ack! Horo what are you doing!?" Ren said loudly.

"Oh nothing," replied Horo, carrying Ren into the water.

Ren quickly really realized what Horo was doing and started to flail. "Horokeu Usui! If you so much as get me wet I will hate you forever!" Ren yelled.

Horo stopped walking and looked at Ren who smiled evilly. Horo pouted and dropped Ren in the water.

Ren surfaced and spat water out of his mouth. "Horo, you are so dead!" And he proceeded to chase Horo around in the water trying to attack him for a very long time until they both got tired and decided to call it quits for the day.

The group had decided that they were going to stay at a hotel for the night and return to Tokyo the next day, so they headed to their hotel, where they changed and went out again. This time to a restaurant where their group immediately became the center of attention to the female gender of their species. A lot of them tired to get Ren's attention but he just ignored them and looked off the side lost in thought and only came back when those same females started trying to get Horo's attention.

Ren _tired_ to ignore it, but it didn't work that well. Soon he was glaring at them, wishing he hadn't left his kawn do at home and trying to figure out which of his awesome kung fu moves would suffice in beating them up, and not act like a mentally unstable person, all at the same time. No one noticed Ren's apparent change in demeanor.

It was like _they_ were ignoring _him_ purposely. And Ren didn't like it.

First he tried to get their attention, _calmly_, but that didn't work. Then he tired being loud, that didn't work either, finally he tired being rude, that still didn't work. Getting fed up and not arriving at a viable conclusion as to what he should do about being ignored, Ren left. It seemed, that in these situations, he was always leaving.

On the way back to the hotel, he finally had the time to think to himself however all he could think about was how stupid he was for leaving the restaurant, just because some stupid females wanted attention. He was hopeless in theses situations. He didn't know how to handle being jealous very well, it was one of those new feelings to him, and he hated having to feel the negative ones. Why couldn't being in love, just stop at being in love.

Arriving at the hotel, he went inside and upstairs to the room his was sharing with Horo and flopped down onto the bed. Staring grumpily at the ceiling he started to hate himself for being stupid, and started to wonder what he could do about not being stupid. Then his head started to hurt, telling him that he was thinking about too many things and should stop right away before his brain exploded. He desisted his thinking and laid there in the quiet room _thinking_ that it was way to quiet.

After a while, the door to the room opened and Horo entered. "There you are, Ren," he said closing the door. "Why did you suddenly leave? I got really worried."

Ren turned his head away from the door and curled up into a ball. "I'll tell you when you stop letting women flirt with you."

"Is that why you left? Cause those girls were there?"

"Ding ding we have a winner. You know what you win? Air! Breathe away!" Ren said.

Horo crossed the room and looked down at Ren. "Ren, you know I don't care about the girls. They weren't there cause I wanted them there. The others did."

"You still let them flirt with you."

"Ren, their girls. They do that."

"You could have told them to get lost," Ren said growing more jealous with every passing second and feeling incredibly stupid.

"They would have still been at the table. They were there cause the others wanted them to be," Horo said growing annoyed. "There was nothing I could do."

"I highly doubt that," Ren muttered. "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"

"I am listening. I'm listening very clearly. And you know what I hear? I hear _someone_ making up stupid excuses as to why he's still _interested_ in girls even though he says he isn't," replied Ren getting off the bed and wandering over to the mini fridge.

"You know that's not true," Horo said angrily. "You know I love you very much and want to be with you."

"Oh yes," Answered Ren with his head in the fridge. "I know it so well that I have to question every little thing you do in public."

"Well maybe you wouldn't have to if you understood your own bloody feelings," Horo said loudly. "Oh wait you can't, cause your emotionally retarded."

Ren looked down at the floor, hurt, then straigthted up and slammed the fridge shut. Then he turned and looked at Horo who was apparantly stunned.

"I'm sorry Ren. I didn't mean to say that."

"No," Ren said sadly. "No, but its true though, isn't it." He looked down at the floor. "I mean, I can't even properly convey my feelings so it must be."

He felt horrible, he felt like his heart was going to break with the realization that he would never be able to tell Horo that he loved him. Horo came over and hugged him, but Ren didn't want him too and pushed him away. Shaking his head, he moved backwards and turned around and headed for the door, but Horo grabbed his arm.

"Your not going to run away from me, Ren," he said and pulled him into a kiss.

Ren tried to pull away, part of him breaking and the other trying to get him to stay. The two parts battled for awhile but then gave up and he stood there. When they were finished Horo hugged him tightly.

"I don't care," he said. "I don't care if you can't say it. Just stay here with me. Don't leave."

Ren tired to pull away again. "You deserve better Horo. Someone who can say it. Someone who isn't stupid."

"Your not stupid Ren. And I don't care. I don't want anyone else. I want you. I will always want you forvever and for all eternity."

Ren groaned into Horo's shoulder. He was making this harder then it should have been. He should just let him go and move on. Move on and forget that he loved him. And now he sounded like they were at an alter and were saying vows.

"I won't let you leave me Ren. If you leave I will follow you. I will follow you to the ends of the earth. I love you."

Ren's resolve finally broke from the pressure of insanity and inability to covey emotions and he started to cry and through his arms around Horo, and still was able to feel stupid and childish at the same time.

Whether Horo was shocked about Ren crying or not, he hid it and held Ren tightly, unwilling to let him go. They sunk to the floor, and there they stayed until Ren had ceased his emotional break down.

"Better?" Horo asked.

Ren nodded and pulled away to sit on his knees. Horo ran his fingers over Ren's cheek the leaned closer and kissed him a few times. "Thank you for not letting me leave," Ren said when he had finished. "I don't really want to be parted from you either."

Horo nodded.

"You know," Ren said after a minute. "Ignoring the fact that most of our fights are pointless, to think I almost left because I got jealous and can't tell you that I love you."

Horo's jaw dropped.

Ren looked at him. "What?"

Horo pointed at him. "You just...you just said I love you."

Ren gawked at him. "Did I really?"

Horo nodded, still dumbfounded and the evening ended in total confusion.

The next morning however. "I love you, Horo."

"I love you too, Ren," Horo said smiling happily and pulling Ren into a hug.

Ren smiled as well, latching on to his loved one, the one who kept him sane, the one who made him happy and angry at the same time.

Ren's _Object of Affection._

**Ashuri: and so here we are. 17 chapters later and it's the end of OOA. Kind of a quick ending but...they love each other and that's that. Thank you all again. And sooner or later I will get around to doing the sequel. But you'll have to wait cause I have a lot of things to do. So thank you for reading OOA and I'm glad you enjoyed it.**


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